Forgetting Reality Together
by Claire Thorne
Summary: “This is the end of the line.” He heard the words in his head, dissonance to the harmony that would never come. Set after "Revelations" A/R . Spoiler for season 4. Mistakes are mine. The end is near.
1. Forgetting Reality Together

It was just a solid gray lump on the ground. Who knew that such a small thing could calm the fury that had begun to consume him? The fairly large rock lay in his hand, fearful of what lie ahead. His fingers closed around it, as he desperately tried to transfer his anger to it. If the rock could have screamed, it would have at this point because his knuckles turned white. His flesh burned into the object, which had once sat alone on the ground, with no destiny. Using all the strength and force he could muster, he lobbed the lump as far as he could, exhaling a scream of frustration with it. It landed in the water, leaving ripples in its wake. He looked down at the ground for another victim and saw it, lying helplessly in the radioactive dirt that surrounded them all. This was not the earth they had seen, struggled for, or wished would save them. The scriptures, the gods, everything had betrayed them.

_"This is the end of the line."_ He heard the words in his head, dissonance to the harmony that would never come. The water was still now, after the rocks ripples had dissipated and settled. The air was cold and he could smell the glory of this once prosperous world. No one moved and everything was at rest. What was left for them? Was this dead planet it? He stood, with a firm answer in his head.

_NO._

They were a family and they had survived this long. He turned his body away from the water, the beach, and this planet in search of the only person that could ever make him feel again. There she stood next to the fire, looking up at the sky. It was dark now, though it had been overcast when they arrived. What could she be looking for up there? The burn of the fire brought feeling back to his body as he moved forward. He approached her and could see she had not moved since he left her.

"Laura, what are you looking at?" He just stood next her motionless body.

"As of right now, absolutely _nothing._" She turned away from the fire – away from him.

She did not walk far from the heated center of their camp, so he followed. Sitting on a large bolder, she slouched over and rested her face in two small, white hands that had appeared out of the large coat she had barrowed from him. Approaching her had been easy, but now he had to pull at the faith he had found and find a way to give it all to her. He kneeled next to her, put one of his hands on her knee, trying to find a way to comfort her. _Perhaps I should try and find her a good rock to throw at one of those fraking skin jobs._

Shaking the thought from his mind, he put another hand on her back, rubbing small circles, "Laura, you don't have to stay here. We can go back to Galactica."

She lifted her head and looked down at him. Her cheeks were wet, "Bill, I would like to go home."

He reached up and wiped the freshly spilt tears from her perfect face. Taking her hands in his, he helped her off the lifeless planet without much effort. She had been silent for most of the journey back to the Galactica, though she thanked the pilot softly for flying them home. Opening the hatch for her, she stepped in. Removing her boots instantly, she walking to the couch in a robotic fashion. He watched her for a moment and then walked to the galley and started to boil water. Two teacups sat next to the burner, he figured she would like something hot to drink. He came back out to find that the coat he had lent her was on the floor, her feet were tucked up underneath her body and she was reading a book. Walking slowly at first because of uncertainty, he quickly realized she was trying to escape the reality and failure.

She wore a small smile on her face, "Searider Falcon" he smiled to himself as he read the cover. He sat next to her with the hot liquid and offered her a cup, which she took it from him, "Thank you, Bill."

"I can help you with that, Laura." Setting his teacup down on the table and putting his glasses on, she understood the gesture. She put her glasses down on the table along with her teacup and then handed the book over to him. He smiled down at her and put an arm around her. She laid a hand on his chest, while the other snuggled its way around his back. Laying her head gently on his shoulder, he began to read.

For now they would forget reality together. They need to be with one another, to heal, to gain strength, and to find the love to over come this final challenge.


	2. A Different Kind of Perfect

A Different Kind of Perfect –

The difficulty with perfection is not in achieving it, but acknowledging it in others. We see what we wish to see, we hear what we wish to hear, and we do what we wish to do. Humanity is a selfish race, but that is not something to be ashamed about. To grow we must fail and in growing we learn and become stronger – more perfected. But to whom are the judges of perfection and what they see? Are they flawed or are they perfect? If so, who are their judges?

* * *

She lay looking at a beautiful man – rough and ragged, but handsome in his own way. Maybe it was the way looked into her eyes, or was it the way his voice seemed to push away the pain? Laura had moved into a different position when the nausea had made sitting up extremely painful. She was now lying across the full length of the sofa, with her legs resting on Bill's lap. His hand lay haphazardly on her thigh, while the other held the book, which had started to droop during chapter five. She reached up and took the slightly crooked glasses from off of his nose and placed them on the table. Grabbing the book gently out of his big hand, replacing the book quickly with her hand, she set it on the table with his glasses. Despite her best efforts, she had woken him up, though it did not look like it upset him in the least.

"Hi." His voice was gravelly, which was her favorite. "You feeling any better?"

_He is perfect. _

She rested her free hand on their interlocked hands, which were now covering her heart, "I am now." He gave her a crooked smile, the one that said _I know your lying_. "Bill, I really I'm…"

He held a hand up to her mouth, quieting her, "I love you." Without another word he bent forward and kissed her lightly, but with passion and desire. Her willpower was slipping, she wanted this, and she wanted him. The days of hiding were over.

He helped her sit up, without breaking the kiss, not allowing her to waste any strength on menial things. She found her strength in him, wrapping her thin arms around his neck. They had both needed to share in this kind of embrace. It is part of human nature, physical and emotional contact. Her breathing became uneven and heavy, which prompted him pulled away. The lack of oxygen was causing her to feel light headed.

"Bill, I'm sorry. I need to…" She got up quickly and ran to the head to empty her already vacant stomach. He had removed her wig swiftly after she entered to clear out the contents of her stomach. Sitting next to the toilet with her eyes closed, he crouched down next to her and placed a hand softly on her back. Exhaustion gripped her fragile body and she sought after the darkness, leaving consciousness. Bill lifted her gracefully off of the ground and into his loving arms. With no shoes on, no jacket, and the unconscious president in his arms, he ran to the life station.

"Doc Cottle. Doc, where are you? We need some help over here. NOW." He screamed in desperation, until someone came running with the doctor.

Cottle looked at Bill and pointed to a bed. He walked hastily forward and laid her down efficiently onto the hospital bed. "Bill, what happened?"

"Well, she threw up and then passed out." He looked at the doctor and then down at Laura.

The doctor grabbed an I.V. and placed it her arm, "I'm afraid other than the antibiotics, this is all I can do for her."

Bill looked at him with anxious eyes, "Is she going to be alright?"

"Yes, if you could say that poisoning herself and then recovering to do it all over again is ok." The look that he then gave Jack was one that silenced the whole life station.

He grabbed the doctor's coat in a very dignified manner, "Don't frak with me, Jack. She can't leave – I need her." The tears that flowed from the eyes of the admiral left the entire staff of the life station speechless.

Cottle put a hand on Bill's shoulder, "I will not let Laura die, I swear to you, Bill. I will do everything I can for her."

Bill gave him a stern look and then took his place, by her side.

* * *

Perfection, are we not the judges? We each see it in different ways. The characteristics that make up a human being, are they flaws or traits? It all depends on who is looking.

At one point in her life, being alone had been the perfect thing for her. Some how on this journey she had found a man that could be things she could not be, helping her achieve her own perfection. He is a different kind of perfect.


	3. The Driving Force

The Driving Force –

She lay perfectly still in the middle of a crowed life station, completely oblivious to the deafening world around her. What he wouldn't give to be in that little bubble that now covered and protected her.

He had sat by her side for the remainder of the night, an evening that had been one part perfect and two parts frightening. What had happened to just enjoying each other's company?

_Cancer – that's what happened._

The golden band that had once occupied his ring finger, now sat on the bed that held the president. He stared at it, intensely, hoping it would tell him what to do next. Was the ring part of the answer?

"Admiral," the young female medic looked at him with a certain anxiety embedded in her eyes, "You're needed in the CIC." He could tell she was afraid to interrupt his thoughts.

"Thank you…I'm sorry, what is your name?" Even the admiral has trouble remembering everything.

The uneasiness that had occupied her eyes was beginning to subside, "Private Jamie Flint, Sir."

He took her hand and gave it gentle shake, "Thank you, Jamie. Could I ask you a favor?"

Her small hand was trembling, "Anything, Sir."

Releasing her hand, he continued, "Would you please inform me when the president wakes up?"

"Is that all, Sir?" She would complete the task without any trouble, he could tell.

"Look after her for me. Will you do that?" The admiral stared at the young lady.

"I'll do the best I can, Sir." She responded quickly and with promise.

He put a hand on her shoulder, "Thank you, Jamie."

With that he turned and looked at Laura once more, "She'll be alright, Sir." Bill gave her a quick nod and hurried out of the life station.

He barely noticed the people walking by him as he hurried towards the CIC; his mind was on other things.

The bulkheads looked the same as they always had, the ship was the same, but he felt a new fondness towards the craft itself. It was home, not only for him, but also for the president – his president. She made this gray bucket seem like a mansion, which just happened to fly amongst the stars. The Galactica was perfect, just like her – battered and broken, but perfect.

_Beautiful._

The CIC was in a bit of an uproar when he arrived. Some people were upset, while others just looked plain angry.

"Sit rep." He yelled as he approached the center console.  Seeing a room of chaos turn into a room of polished military men and women would never cease to amaze him.

Major Agathon stood at the center of the room, "Sir, we sent several survey teams down to the surface like you requested."

"And?"

"About eighty-five percent of the surface was affected by the nuclear blast, but the other fifteen percent was not. It's located in the southern hemisphere." The entire room was silent.

"Do the Cylons know about this?"

"Yes."

"Is it habitable?" This was the question that really mattered.

_Please say yes, please._

"I think so, Sir. We're still waiting for a few test results."

He looked around at the room that had once been in chaos, "Inform me as soon as that test results are completed. I want to know everything there is to know about this 'Earth.'"

"Sir." Major Agathon stood at attention.

The admiral quickly saluted him, "Major, I want a report on the hour."

"Is there anything else, Admiral?"

"Make sure you keep these kids under control."

Carl just smiled, "No problem."

Bill turned and walked out of the CIC, anxiously seeking his quarters. Unfortunately he had been unable to shave, let alone shower. He looked absolutely terrible: no shoes, plain black tee shirt, and a pair of military issue sweatpants. He had not even thought about his appearance before entering the CIC.

_Perfect._

The hatch to his quarters was still ajar when he arrived. Slightly afraid of what might be inside, he pulled on the handle cautiously. Nothing appeared to be out of place: two teacups on the table, along with their glasses and "Searider Falcon." He stepped over the thresh hold and continued to walked to his closet, where he pulled out a fresh uniform. Thinking of Laura, he grabbed a big tee shirt and a pair of sweats and wandered over to her desk, laying the clothing on top of it.

He entered the head and saw her wig lying on the cold floor. Bending over slowly, he picked it up and held in his trembling hands. If his hand had not already been wounded from the mirror, which now mocked him, he would have punched it again. He sauntered slowly over to the desk a second time and set the wig down next to their clothes.

"Damn it." He yelled as his fists met the surface of the desk, hard.

_Breathe. In. Out. Maybe she'll be awake soon. I should hurry._

He showered and shaved quickly, washing away the defeat of earth, but also her scent. Before he exited the head, he grabbed a comb.

Grateful that the desk still stood, he jumped into his uniform, then picked up the comb and brushed her wig gently.

"There we go. That looks better." He commented to himself.

With her wig and clothing in hand, he exited his quarters. A firm marching pace got him to the life station in two minutes flat. He could see the curtained-off area where she had been placed was still up.

"Sir, she's still sleeping, but I think she's got some more color." Jamie commented as he entered Laura's makeshift room.

He had been gone for over two hours and she still was not awake. "Thank you, Private Flint."

She understood the silent dismissal and closed the curtain quietly.

He whispered her name with reverence, "Laura."

She opened her mouth and swallowed hard, "Bill…" It came out as a croak.

"Don't talk, just nod your head." He took her hand, "Do you need some water, food, all of the above?"

She nodded her head.

"I'll go talk to Jack," he bent over and kissed her forehead, "Hang in there."

Bill practically ran to the doctor and speedily returned with water and a tablet. He opened the curtain and her green eyes captured him, causing him to nearly trip on his own two feet.

"Doc said to drink this entire glass and that you'd probably throw up again if we gave you the special, green mush. So he said you need to take this pill, it'll make you feel better." He smiled and noticed that his wedding band was no longer on the bed.

After taking in all the water and the medication, he noticed that she seemed to perk up. He helped her change into the clothes he had brought for her and then handed her the wig. She smiled and put it in place – he was captivated by her every movement. He noticed she had kept her left hand in a fist ever since he had arrived.

When she realized that he was staring at her hand, she opened it, "Bill, isn't this your ring?"

"It certainly looks like it," he held up his left hand, "and it looks like I've misplaced mine."  There was a white ring on his skin were the ring had been before.

She held out her hand to give it back to him, not reacting to his humor, "Well then it's probably yours."  Some how she looked defeated.

He closed her fingers around his wedding band, "I think this belongs to you, actually."

Laura looked at him as if he had spoken another language, "What are you saying, Bill?"

_The ring is part of the answer._

He knelt down on one knee in front of her, "You are my life, the spirit that now occupies my body – the blood that flowed through my veins. You _are _the reason for me to continue, the driving force." He could see the tears forming in her eyes, "Laura Roslin, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

* * *


	4. What Are Words

What Are Words –

Everything that had made sense to her in the past had left her, forsaken her – she was defenseless. The ability to speak was a bit hazy. She needed one word, but some how she could not seem to find any. The trembling in her hand was a fear of how much a statement, a phrase, a simple question could paralyze her.

"Laura, before you give me an answer, I want you to know that no matter what it is, I love you. I always have, I always will – our love is something that will never die. You'll always have my heart, no matter what. This is just a crazy idea I have and we can discuss it." He bent forward and kissed her hand, "It's just an idea. No pressure."

The curtain swung open, causing Bill to spring up off the floor, "I'm sorry for intruding, admiral, but Major Agathon is on the wireless requesting to speak to you." Jamie's cheeks were bright red, with embarrassment.

_She looks like she just walked in on her parents, _Laura thought to herself.

"Private Flint, would you please inform the major that I will contact him as soon as I have reached my quarters. Thank you." She quickly retreated out of the curtained off area.

When he turned back to look at Laura, the tears that she had kept a bay were streaming down her cheeks. "Would you like me to carry you back to our quarters?" His smile, his presence, the smell of him captured her senses.

"No, I can walk." She reached for his arm, quickly brushing away any sight of her emotional state, as she took her first couple of steps.

Walking through the halls of the Galactica was nothing new, but she felt like her emotions, which she had been able to keep under wraps for so long, were utterly apparent to every person that passed by her.

_Why am I so afraid?_

Why indeed. He cared deeply for her, and unless she was mistaken, she cared deeply for him. What was the problem? She could feel the wedding band burning a circle into her flesh. Being with Adar, had been amusing, but horrible at the same time. She had enjoyed the thrill of him, but having to share him was wrong. With Bill, the thrill was still there – gentle and strong – and she did not have to share him with anyone. What was the problem? The fleet would not condone it, but what could they do? She was sure there were plenty of rumors floating around.

The hatch to their quarters had appeared more rapidly than she could have thought possible. "Laura, while you were sleeping, I went to the CIC and talked to Helo about the ground survey teams we sent down to 'Earth.' Well, there is about fifteen percent of the surface was unaffected. I'm sure that the major was calling to give me an update on the situation back in the life station. I thought it would be better if we talked to him in private. Also, the Cylons know about the situation."

"Okay." She nodded her head towards the wireless.

He walked smoothly over to the phone and pressed a button and then put the wireless back on the console, "CIC."

"This the admiral, put me through to Major Agathon, please." He motioned for her to come join him next to the wireless.

"Major Agathon, Sir."

"Sit rep." She could feel his gaze on her, burning.

"Sir, the test results are not done yet, but I have just received word from the Cylons. The final four Cylons stayed down on the surface, to my knowledge they are still down there. They contacted us about twenty minutes ago, saying they found an opera house. Unfortunately, this 'opera house' is in the northern hemisphere and was affected by the nuclear radiation." She knew what had to be done.

_The dying leader shall know the truth at the opera house._

"Bill I have to go down there." She turned to him and grabbing his forearm.

"Laura, I can't let you do that. What if you get an infection? Doc Cottle will never agree to let you go down there." He was generally upset; she could see that he had put on his big brother face.

"You're going to be proud of me." She took both of his hands, "I can just wear a flight suite. That should protect me from any diseases I could possible catch, right?" There was a smile on his face, he was proud of her.

"You're a genius, did you know that?" This gave her a new confidence. Their love was strong, everlasting, and undying.

She did not let go of his hands, "Bill?"

"Hum?"

"I think I have answer for you." She caught his eyes, an ocean of warmth washed through her body.

"Bill, I will marry you." Her statement was a promise – sure and proud.

His arms locked around her waist, as he lifted her off the ground and spun her. She figured he remember that her stomach was not in the best shape, when gently set her down. Something was missing.

Laughing, she realized her wig had fallen off, "I hate that thing." Looking over at his rack, she saw one of her scarfs and quickly tied it around her cold head.

"You're so beautiful."

"Your half bad looking yourself." He gave her one of his toothy grins.

It suddenly hit her that there was another audience to this joyful occasion. Bill seemed to realize the same thing at that very moment.

"Helo, are you still there?" There was a slight panic in his voice.

"Um, yes, Sir." She almost felt sorry for him, almost.

"What was the last thing you heard?" There was a long pause.

"Something about the president going down to the surface in a flight suite, Sir." Helo's voice was unsure.

"Good." Bill quickly glanced over at Laura, with a smile.

"But, Sir, if I did hear anything else, I would probably say…what's that word?"

This time Laura spoke, "Congratulations."

"Yes, that would be it." She could tell that the major had a giant smile on his face.

Bill looked like he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "Thank you, Carl. If you wouldn't mind keeping that thing you didn't hear, under the radar, we would both appreciate it."

"What are you talking about, Sir? Unless there is anything else, I've got to get back to work."

_Smart man._

"That's all." Bill pressed another button on the wireless console.

He turned to his closet and pulled something out of it. She was just a curious as ever. There was something in his hand when he returned. He took the ring out of her hand and turned around, so that she could not see.

"Bill, what are you doing?"

He turned around, with a big smile on his face. "Here. I figured this would be a little less conspicuous." In his hand was a long, thin strip of leather, with the ring attached. There was something else connected to it. After looking at it more closely, she discovered it was one of his dog tags.

_W. Adama, a piece of him and a piece of me._

"Thank you, Bill. A necklace is far less obvious." He stepped closer to her, so that he could put it on her.

When it was securely fastened around her neck, he turned her in his arms, "Would you dance with me?"

"Of course." He walked over to a small radio-like machine and put a disc in it.

The music began to play, "Bill, that's gorgeous, where did you get it?"

He took her in his arms and began moving to the slow melody, "Kara gave it to me after we returned from Kobol. I think she said it was her father playing."

"Hum. It's beautiful and comforting."

"Yes, you are." He gave her a gentle squeeze.

Words – the outward expression of inward thoughts, feelings. She did not need these anymore – their thoughts and feelings were connected.


	5. The Price That Must Be Paid

The Price That Must Be Paid –

The dance they had shared felt like it lasted forever. Arms, hands, and bodies moving to the powerful harmonies that had finally come – not only in the music, but also in their lives. The things that mattered most to him were falling into place, like the pitches in rich chord – a resolution. She was here, engaged to be married to him and loving every second.

They had migrated from standing in the main area of his quarters over to his private living space. She looked tired, exhausted actually. The day had drained her, but she looked like nothing could go wrong in her life. Laura sat on the edge of his rack, looking tempted to fall over and sleep for a good week or so. He wished she could, it would probably be beneficial to her health.

She was already in her pajamas and he knew if he left her for a second she would fall asleep, so he decided to help her fall into that sleep she needed. "Laura, why don't you lie down – hum?"

"I swear I'm not tired." She looked at him with drooping eyelids.

_Oh yes you are. Geez, she'll always be stubborn._

Though she said she was not tired, he gently put his left hand at the base of her neck and his right arm under her legs and helped her into a sleeping position. She did not resist his touch.

"Just relax, Laura. Could you roll onto your side, please?"

His request was followed by a quiet, "Hum," as she roll over.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes." He began drawing pictures on her back of his favorite things – a Viper, a Battlestar, and the best impression of her face he could manage.

He was not sure if she could even tell what he was doing, "Laura, are you still awake?"

"Yes I am, Bill, and I think you should have become an artist." Kneeling beside her gave him fairly good access to her neck, to which he placed a few soft kisses.

"Bill." There was no question here – a statement of pure pleasure.

Her body rolled back over to face him, which he took advantage of. He traced her cheekbone with his thump lightly. "I know I've probably told you this a thousand times today – to make sure that this is real – but I love you, Laura." He paused for a second to make sure she was completely aware of him, "And, Laura, I want to make you a promise." He took her hand in his own, "After we are married, I'm going to build you a cabin. There will be a little garden out front, a pond, and a big shade tree. I'll make sure there's a fireplace, where we can cuddle up together and read books for hours. I promise, no matter how hard, how long, or how far I have to go, I will build it."

Her eyes were closed and there was a big smile on her face. He could see the little tear fall down her cheek as she spoke, "I would like that very much, Bill." When she opened her eyes, he was captured.

He ran a tender finger over the necklace she had accepted and before he could make it to the ring, she pull his hand up her face and placed a soft kiss on each of his fingers. She closed her eyes again and he caressed her cheek his hand.

"Do you remember that night on New Caprica, when you got a little silly?"

"Of course, I will never forget it." He knew she would not.

"I think I sang to you that night."

She was smiling again, "You did and it's a sound I have been longing to hear again ever since."

The melody to this particular song was in a comfortable range, for him, and was very smooth. He left the words out, for now, just letting the music carry her. Tracing the lines in her hands as he hummed – knocking her out cold. He would soon join her after he prepared all of their things for the mission.

* * *

The buzzing of the wireless had come to soon. The night they had shared was pure and intimate – it could have lasted forever and neither would have complained.

"Adama." His voice was rough.

"Sir, you asked me to call at 0500 hours. The President's flight suite is all set and waiting in the ready room."

"Thank you, Helo." He did not want to wake her – she looked so peaceful.

"No problem, Sir." He set the wireless back on the console.

Walking slowly to his rack, where she lay, he gently ran his fingers across her skin. "Laura, it's time."

Her eyes opened with a certain focus, "Okay, I'm awake."

He helped her out of their rack with gentle hands, grabbed his flight suite, and they quickly walked to the ready room. As they enter, she let out a long sigh, "Bill, you don't have to come with me."

He let out a small laugh, taking her hands, "I still don't trust the Cylons and I would never let you go down to that planet all by yourself with the enemy. Plus, I know you're dying to see me in this flight suite again."

"Here I was thinking you just wanted to see me in a flight suite." Her hands were securely placed on her hips.

"Well you just hold on a second while I jump into this thing, then I'll help you." Without giving her time to say anything, he was in his the leather getup.

"Hang on, how in the world did you do that." She stood stunned.

"Years of practice. I'll have to give you a few lessons some time."

He walked forward, taking the military issued shorts and tanks off of the table. She took her sweatpants off quickly and replaced them with the shorts. He then helped her get the tee shirt off, not taking his eyes away from hers. She smiled as the tanks fell into place, and he gave her a grin of satisfaction. The leather flight suite was a little more difficult to get her in, but when he finally zipped the front of it up and took a step back to admire her, he knew it was worth the work.

"There. You look great. So are we ready to go and get this done?"

"Thank you and I believe so." She turned to walk out of the room, but he grabbed her hand before she could exit.

"Laura, I forgot one thing." He stepped forward, took the wings off his suite and placed them on hers.

"What's this for, Bill? I'm pretty sure I can't fly a Raptor or a Viper." She smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, here's what I figure. Granted, it might sound a little cheesy, but I'm going to say it anyways. You have allowed me to really fly, your love has carried me past the limits of gravity." He tipped her chin up and kissed her with passion – a certain urgency driving him.

He knew she was weakened by the Diloxin, but the way she responded to his words and touch showed him only power and strength.

"Bill." She breathed into his mouth as he pulled her closer. Their mouths moved in unison, like a dance, synchronized and authoritative. He wished that he had never put her in this leather uniform – the feel of her skin was all he wanted. "Hum."

He pulled away from her, "Laura." Cupping her face in his hands he continued, "Fly with me?"

"Of course – I'll follow you anywhere, Husker." She gave him a wink and began walking towards the hatch.

"It looks like I have a sexy, new wingman – The President. Hey, that sounds like a good call sign."

Laura stopped and turned back towards him, "Bill, it's these moments that make life worth living."

Bill stepped nearer to her and took her hand, "Yes, these are the moments we live for." He paused for a brief second, reaching for something on the table, "Laura, I want you to stay near me when we reach the surface and I know that you probably aren't going to like this, but you need to keep this on your person." He handed her a gun with the accompanying holster.

She nodded her head and strapped it to her waist, "I understand."

"We should hurry. Athena is probably waiting for us."

They walked quickly to the hanger bay where they found Athena standing at attention in front of the Raptor. "Sir."

He saluted her, "Athena, are we ready to head out?"

"Yes, Sir. All prepped and ready." Laura gave her an appreciative smile.

"Alright, let's go." He helped Laura into the Raptor.

"Cleared for launch."

They arrived on the surface after a few minutes of rough turbulence. Laura looked like she was feeling slightly nauseated, but keeping it under control, she exited the craft. He could tell she was happy to be on solid ground again.

"Bill." As he turned to see who had said his name, Colonel Saul Tigh grabbed his shoulder.

"Get your hand off of me." His hand securely fastened to his gun, his other making sure Laura was behind him.

Saul moved away from his friend, "Well, let me show you and the president the opera house." The three other Cylons stood close by.

"Move." Bill stated in his admiral voice.

He made sure the four Cylons were in front of him. Athena was in the Raptor, where he had told her to be ready to take off at any moment, regardless of whether or not he returned.

They entered the dome-like structure right behind the Cylons. Laura was close and he could not quite tell what she was thinking. "Laura, what is it?"

"Bill, this is the place I've seen in my dreams, so many times – Over and over again."

He knew her mind was racing, trying to find something that would give her the truth. Silence, the entire place was quiet. Nothing moved – everything was still.

He followed close by as she walked towards a doorway. They were now in the theatre, "Bill, do you see that person on the stage?"

"No." He always knew she could see things he could not.

"She's talking." Laura stopped in front of the stage; her eyes were lifted up towards the object – person – he could not see.

She stood there for about five minutes before she turned towards him, "Bill, we need to leave now."

"Why?"

"Just trust me." He was struggling to keep up with her, "Come on, Bill. MOVE." She broke out into a run. His gun holster caught on something protruding from the doorway. He quickly undid the buckle on the belt and continued to run.

"What's going on, Laura?" He caught up to her and matched her stride for stride.

"I'll tell you when we make it back to the Raptor."

"Okay." He was surprised at how much endurance she had.

Turning his head for a brief moment, he caught sight of a blur that was following them. He turned his head again and saw that Tyrol and Anders were the blur.

"Why are they chasing us, Laura?"

"Frak. Bill, keep moving." His body was not what it had been in his younger years. The terrain was not helping – all the rocks on the ground were causing him to lose his footing. Looking down for a brief moment and then back up, he saw her fall.

"Laura, are you okay?" He could see the fear in her eyes.

She bit her lower lip, "Bill, I think I might have broken my ankle. We need to get to the Raptor. I can see it, maybe hundred feet. Can you carry me?"

"Laura, I don't know if I can. I think my knee is going to give out, but I'll try." He lifted her off of the ground, with a little trouble.

Bill got about fifty feet before his knee gave out. "Athena's coming, Bill. She'll get us, back to the Galactica."

Tyrol was closing in on their location, "Laura, he's got a knife. I need your gun, now."

She fumbled to get the clasp off of the holster. Tory had stopped Anders from pursuing them, but Galen was approaching at a quickened speed, "Hurry, Laura."

"I can't get this stupid thing out of the holster." She looked up just in time to see Tyrol jump on him, stabbing him in the thigh, "BILL."

She pulled on the clasp hard, ripping the fabric and freeing the gun. Steadying her grip on the weapon, she fired. Laura Roslin shot and missed, but she startled Tyrol enough to aim again and get two rounds off. This time she hit him in the shoulder and the abdomen. He keeled over, completely stunned. Bill could see the woman that had just saved his life – pointing the gun at the man she had just shot. Her breathing was even, but hurried.

Athena ran up behind them, "Madam President, we need to go. Can you walk?"

"I can't put any pressure on it."

"Laura, give me the gun. Athena, get her back the ship and then you can come back and get me." He knew what to do – just stay awake. Laura handed him the gun.

"Sir." Athena took Laura's arm and half carried her back to the Raptor.

Luckily he still had one good leg, or Athena would have had to carry him. By the time he got to the Raptor, his head was spinning. "He's lost a lot of blood."

"Bill, stay with me." Laura touched his face.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"I'm your wingman – some times I have to protect you."

She was turning into a blur, "Laura, I love you."

"No, Bill. You stay with me. I'm not going to lose you." She took off her belt, which had harnessed the gun, and wrapped it around his leg. "Stop the bleeding."

His eyelids were beginning to shut, "Ma'am, you need to keep him awake. Do anything you have to, just keep him awake. We're almost there."

She looked back down at him and slapped him hard on the face, "You're not allowed to leave me – that is an executive order, directly from the president."

"Laura, I can't…"


	6. Sacrifice A Few For The Sake Of The Many

Sacrifice A Few For The Many –

Laura could feel the walls of the Raptor closing in around her. Covered in _his_ blood, her heart was racing and her hands were fixated on his leg, trying so desperately to stop the bleeding.

"Please, Bill. No." The tears from her eyes landed on his face, mixing with his sweat. She could not live without him and there was nothing in the universe that could change that fact. He was the only one keeping her from the dark abyss of her own heart – the only one keeping her fear a bay. If Bill were to leave, then there would be nothing worth living for – not even Earth. It would mean nothing without his hand in hers – his love intertwined with her own. After feeling the love he had offered her, being alone would most likely kill her instantaneously and she knew it.

"I can't be alone again, Bill." The fear was beginning to show its face, engulfing her weak heart, "You can't leave me too."

"Don't cry…" His breathing was uneven and labored.

"Don't leave me and I won't need to cry."

He swallowed hard and she could see that the majority of the blood was not coming from his leg. Tyrol had stabbed Bill on the right side of his chest, which explained his labored breathing. When she saw the puncture wound, she hastily took off her helmet and unzipped her uniform, allowing her to free one of her tanks. Removing his helmet carefully and unzipping his suite, she applied pressure, with the cotton tank, to the abrasion.

"It doesn't look too deep, Bill."

Closing his eyes for a brief second, he tried to push the pain way, "I know, but it still hurts."

"I'm not very good at protecting you." She placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"You did just fine." He said, trying to reassure her, "I'm not dead."

* * *

When they landed, he was in the life station with in a matter of minutes.

"What the hell happened down there?" Cottle looked a little pissed off.

"That's confidential, doctor." Laura jested, though it seemed like that made him even more frustrated. She could see him fishing in his pocket for something, probably a cigarette.

"We've got a comedian over here." He paused, pulling out the cigarette, "The two leaders humanity decided that putting their collective ass's on the line would have zero consequences. Hilarious, Madame President. You're going to have to stay in the cast for at least four weeks, but I imagine it's going to take longer than that for it to fully heal."

She did not really care about her own stupid ankle, "Jack, how's Bill doing?"

"Well, I'm glad he didn't get shot again. I don't know if he would've been able to recover from another chest shot." He gave her a stern look, "I cleaned both of the wounds and it looks like he's going to be fine. Just a few stitches and two good scars, that's all." She wondered if he was telling the truth.

"Can I see him?" She gave him the best 'I don't care if you say no, so you might as well say just yes' face she could manage.

"I imagine I couldn't stop you even if I said no." He nodded his head in the direction of Bill's room.

"Thank you, Jack." She turned rather quickly and her necklace followed suite, escaping from its hidden spot, under her shirt.

"Laura, wait just one more second. I have a quick question for you." He was giving her a particular look that she had never seen before.

"What is it?"

"Well, I would like to know the significance of that necklace. I've never seen you wear it before." He paused for a second, pointing at the object, "I guess I would like to know why you're wearing Admiral Adama's ring around your neck?"

"I would say, that's confidential, but I know you're going to find out eventually." She paused this time for the pure suspense of the moment, "The admiral and I are engaged. And if you wouldn't mind, I'm going to go see my fiancé now." She said it with confidence, leaving the doctor completely speechless as she hobbled away towards Bill's room.

Laura slowly, but surely, reached his room and opened the door, peeking her head in, "You awake?"

"Hum. For you, I'll always be awake." His eyes were still shut, but his face was glowing with joy.

She already hated this cast, it made a clunking noise every time she stepped. The smile that appeared on his face was priceless, she could even hear the low rumble of laughter beginning to sound in his throat, "Be quite, I'm almost there."

"I know – I can hear you." His eyes were open now.

"How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?" He looked at her – she could see the love in his eyes.

"I'm doing okay, but I would feel better if I could hold you in my arms."

She let a little giggle slip from her lips, "That would be a sight. That little bed would probably not appreciate the extra weight." How a man could get that kind of reaction out of her after all these years was still a mystery.

"Sure. Well, it seems that the roles have changed." He was right – now he was the one who needed her help.

She held one of his hands, while the other softly brushed his hair back into place, "There." Her thumb traced the lines in his face, trying to smooth his rough skin.

Laura felt him lean his head into her hand, "Laura, would you tell me what happened in that opera house because I really don't understand why Tyrol was so enraged – maybe a better phrase for it would be insane with anger. I don't think I've ever seen him like that before."

Releasing all the air in her lungs, she inhaled, "I'm going to need a chair." Turning slowly, she reluctantly let go of his hand and pulled a chair over, "The woman that I saw on the stage was Elosha – the priest who died on Kobol."

"Yes, I remember. Please, continue." He was really concentrating hard, which she found adorable.

"She explained a few things to me in those brief moments in the theatre. First, the map we found on Kobol was not to Earth. That map was supposed to lead us to the last marker – Terra. This planet, Terra, has given me some of the final parts of the map – to Earth. She made it very clear that this was a precaution, to protect the thirteenth tribe. This planet has been a waste land for many years and, supposedly, the thirteenth tribe found refuge here before they continued on to Earth."

He nodded for her to continue, "Now, on to the reason why Tyrol attacked us. Basically, the four – well three – Cylons have to stay on Terra. Their purpose is to help point the way to Earth for any other survivors. I'm sure Galen was upset because he has a child, but there isn't anything that we can do about it." She knew he would not be overly excited about this, but it was their collective destiny. "Bill, you have to accept this – sacrifice a few to save the many."

He just sat there and she could tell there was a major conflict raging inside of him, "Laura, haven't enough people died? Haven't enough been left behind? Why would the gods ask this of us, after all we have already suffered? Why?"

She understood what he was feeling, "Bill, I know. I do, but I think in order for this civilization to continue on – to survive – we have to know what the bottom feels like. What we have to realize as leaders, and people, is that every soul has value. Every day we're alive, really means something. If…when we reach Earth, humanity will know true suffering and loss. Knowing this will allow future generations to prevent such atrocities from ever occurring again, maybe not completely, but better than their predecessor – better then you and me." He looked at her with pain in his eyes, but understanding was beginning to surface.

"To learn much, we must also lose much. It is part of who we are. The mistakes we make, or have made, are what we leave behind to teach our posterity. Bill, I have lost almost every person that has ever ment something to me: my mother, Elosha, Billy. I believe that through those loses, however painful, I have gained other things. Life will correct the balance, Bill – just be patient." There was a long silence as her words sunk in.

"I love you." His eyes were glassy as the clear liquid started to fill them, "I think that life has already corrected that balance."

She could feel the strength in his words – he was going to trust her and hope for the best. "I love you, Bill Adama."

He smiled as the unshed tears dripped slowly down his cheeks, "Did Elosha tell you anything else?"

"The final Cylon will be revealed to us, shortly before we reach Earth. She told me this final Cylon will not harm us and that it has the final coordinates to Earth." She could tell this did not excite him, "It'll be our responsibility to leave a marker for the other survivors." He shifted slightly, "She also told me that the people we hold close will need our help in this final leg of the journey. I have been told to keep a close eye on Kara. I was told that she would reveal something to me and only me, but I'm not sure as to what relevance."

"Maybe she'll explain her resurrection from the dead."

"Maybe, but right now I'm more concerned with your health."

He smiled, "Laura, I'm fine. Really, I think I'm just tired."

"Well then you should be sleeping, not talking to me." He nodded and began to close his eyes.

"You need to go talk to Major Agathon about the coordinates for the first jump. Tell him that we have discussed it and that I have given you permission to head up this operation. Make me proud."

Laura bent forward and kissed him lightly, "Rest – I'll be back later. It might take me a while to actually get to the CIC."

"Hum." She quietly exited his room. Getting to the CIC would probably take an hour if she were walking fast.

"Madame President, would you like some help?" Private Flint caught Laura's arm and slung it over her shoulder.

"Yes, thank you." With that she was on her way to the CIC – helping their ragtag fleet finally make it to Earth.


	7. Greeted By Her Green Eyes

_Thanks everyone for the reviews!! Enjoy..._

Greeted By Her Green Eyes –

The doctor had lied to Laura – Bill Adama was going to have a permanent limp for the rest of his life and his breathing would always be an exercise.

_Exercise – try agonizing torture_, he thought, letting the air out of his lungs little by little, trying to minimize the pain.

There was a large amount of scar tissue that was limiting the expansion of his lungs and he knew that surgery was a definite possibility if breathing did not become easier in the next few weeks. His leg was better off, when compared to his chest – the scar tissue in his thigh had caused a loss of mobility and Cottle had refused to operate on it unless it was life or death, though Tyrol's knife had barely missed one of Bill's major arteries. The pain was beginning to subside, which allowed him to get out his hospital bed and move around.

It had been over a week since they began jumping towards Earth – the real Earth. During that week Kara had stopped by to visit him, bringing a cane, which was appreciated – maybe not in the moment. He made himself laugh, remembering the face that Starbuck had given him when he tried to chuck the cane at her. Laura had been present for this, not so glorious, occasion. Her laugh was like a song – happy, bright, and full of hope. Just the thought of it made him grin. Seeing her face, the smile that would never stop making him feel blessed, and those green eyes. Every time he closed his eyes he could see her, she filled every thought that passed through his mind. She was taking control of him – he could feel, see, and hear her even when she was absent from his actual presence.

_I wonder if she could say the same about me, _he wondered for a brief moment.

"Admiral, you have a visitor." Private Jamie Flint had become a very close friend to the admiral in the last week. Other than Helo, she was the only one who knew about his engagement to the president.

Which was going to change tonight, "Thank you, Jamie. You can send him in." The young woman gave him a look of encouragement.

Lee Adama entered with a slight hesitation, "How're you feeling today?"

Bill looked down for a brief moment and smiled, "Well, Jack had me up walking about an hour ago. I guess that means that I'm doing better."

"You look like you're feeling better, if that is any consolation." Lee was now in a chair next to his bed, one that was often filled by another body – Laura.

"Thank you, son – that does help." He paused exhaling slowly, trying not to show the pain, "Now down to the real reason why I asked you to come."

His son nodded for him to continue, "Do you have dinner plans?"

Lee looked down and smiled, imitating his father, "I remember the last time you asked me that. I had to endure an evening with Ellen Tigh, which, I must say, is not something I would ever want to do again."

"It's nothing like that. I promise you already know everyone that is planning on attending."

"Well, then it sounds lovely. It'll be nice to just enjoy an evening with my family." He could see the relief in his son's eyes, though that relief might be gone after tonight.

"I haven't seen Kara since I tried to throw that cane at her. Could you pass her an invitation?"

"No problem, dad." Lee gave him a big smile, "I'm glad to see that you're feeling better."

The smile faded from his face and Bill could tell that his son had more to say, "What is it, Lee?"

"Would you promise me something?"

Bill looked at his son with a calm face, "Sure."

Lee took in a deep breath and let the words flow out of his mouth, "Promise me that the next time you get any hair-brained ideas to save the fleet, or whatever it was that you did down there, that you'll bring me along."

Bill looked at his son with stern eyes, "So what? You wanted me to take both of our major political leaders down there. I knew the risks and I was not about to put you in harms way. You're my son and I would willingly give up my life for you. You deserve a life beyond the death that I believe is rapidly approaching for the president and I. We're old and we've had our time – it's your time now." He paused for a second, only slightly irritated with his son, "Just be happy that I'm still alive."

He could see the muscles in Lee's jaw tighten, "Dad, you can't ask me to let you die – not without giving at least a little bit of a fight."

Bill shook his head, "Lee, I'm going to die eventually and you won't be able to stop it then." He looked at his son, letting the annoyance flutter away, "You have plenty to fight for and I know that. I want you to fight for freedom, justice – love. If you fight for those values, then you will have saved my life many times over." He could see the tears welling up in Lee's eyes, "To reach your full potential, Lee, I have to die. If I could give you that one thing, after failing you for so long, then there is no question in my mind as to what I have to do. Let me do that for you – maybe not now, but in the future."

The tears began to run down his own face as Lee spoke, "Dad, I don't know what we would do without you – what I would do without you."

Bill put his hand on Lee's shoulder, squeezing it as he spoke, "Leland Adama, you'll recover and endure – live on."

* * *

His eyes fluttered open and there were her green eye. Her scent filled the room, "Are you ready to leave?"

"Only if I get to go with you."

"I wouldn't leave with anyone else." She helped him out his bed, with considerable skill.

The cast that now occupied the space around her leg did not seem to limit her in any way. In fact, she looked better than she had in weeks – months. There was a certain amount of freedom, like something had been lifted from her shoulders.

The wheel chair was cold against his bare legs, "I talked to Lee."

"Hum. How did that go?" As they exited the room, Jamie approached, taking the wheel chair handles away from Laura. She nodded, appreciative of the private's continued help and discretion.

"I invited him over for dinner – I told him to invite Kara." He looked up at her with tired eyes and she grinned.

"So, I assume we're telling the children tonight then?"

He simply bobbed his head, "Sir, if I may speak freely?"

Bill repeated the motion and the private continued, "Sir, I think that telling Lee and Kara is a very wise decision. I'm sure they will be happy for you both and they may even find that…" She paused, looking for the right words.

Laura reached over and put a hand on Jamie's hand, "That they may find what?"

"That if you can discover happiness out of all of this tragedy, then there could still be hope for them."

"We still have a long ways to go." Bill turned his head to face the two women.

"True, but look how far we've come." He could see that the once hesitant medic was no longer afraid to speak her mind.

* * *

The most challenging event of the evening was not going to be telling Lee and Kara about his secret engagement with the president, it seemed it would be putting on his dress grays.

As soon as the hatch had been shut, she helped him out of the wheel chair. With the hospital gown still in place, Laura held the boxers in place at his feet. He lifted his injured leg into the hole first and quickly placed a trembling hand on her shoulder, after he almost toppled over. Once both of his legs had found the appropriate holes, she pulled the boxers up to his waist and then removed the gown. The warmth of her hands against his bare chest sent a chill up and down his spin. She kissed the new scar on his chest with reverence.

The floor was cold and so was he. His entire body shuttered and she felt it under her hands and continued to assist him with his uniform. His pants and shoes took a minute or two to get on, but the tanks proved to be the most difficult part of the process. Lifting his right arm was worse than torture, but she placed kisses down it trying to distract him. Once the cloth was in place, he pulled her closer to his body. He had to admit that she looked incredibly cute, in one of her power suites with a giant cast on her leg – adorable.

"Laura?"

"Hum?"

"I don't really know how to explain this, but I'm starting to have trouble with memory."

She smiled, "Well, Bill, people at our age tend to have trouble with that."

"That's not what I mean, Laura. Last week…I couldn't tell you what was a dream and what wasn't. They're all blurring together – the ones of you."

Laura put her hand on his face, "Can you feel this?"

"Yes." He leaned into her hand, trying to memorize the feeling.

"This isn't a dream, Bill. And yes, I know exactly what you mean about dreams blurring together with reality – your blue eyes are always present. Even when I close my eyes."

He bent forward, tracing her jaw line with kisses, as his left hand held her face. She hummed with pleasure and when he finally reached her mouth, she responded with earnest – desire. This kiss was different; it was one he would gladly experience over and over again for the rest of his life. It was driven by her strength – she was holding him up. His legs were beginning to buckle and he knew her muscles had their limitation and that his were about to rip.

"Laura, I need to sit." She pulled his left arm over her shoulder and moved him in the direction of the sofa. He had underestimated her strength – and balance, for that matter.

Helping him sit slowly, she whispered, "How's that?"

He pulled her next to him, "Better."

_Knock, knock, knock…_

"I'll get it." Laura got up and threw Bill's uniform jack and sash it at him, "Hurry up and put that on."

He watched her until she turned the corner, then he listened to her footsteps. _Gods, I love her._

Closing his eyes, he remembered back to the first time she had said it to him. They were encompassed by the foreign surroundings of a Cylon Basestar and she stood in front of him looking like the words she wished to share were unreachable. It reminded him of when he had proposed to her – a look of disbelief. A certain doubt surrounded her, fear of herself and of her own happiness. Not that he blamed her; it seems that she was not the only one to be held back because of it. He had so many chances; there were so many times that he had rejected her for his own trepidation – his own distrust. The time wasted on it was unforgivable and he knew she deserved so much more.

He cursed himself in silence; _forgive me – I did not see._

A soft hand traced his cheekbone, "Bill, what's wrong?"

The tear fell, "I'm sorry. Those words don't ever seem to mean enough, but I'm sorry."

Lee and Kara stood at the entrance silently, trying to respect their privacy. Bill did not care that they were present and he was having trouble holding himself together.

"For what? You've done nothing wrong." The questioning green eyes that now pierced his soul did not break the connection with his.

"Yes I have. Please, Laura, forgive me for…"

Her eyes were searching his own, looking for what was really upsetting him, "Whatever it is, Bill, it doesn't matter because," She pause taking his face in her hands, "I love you."

The two children pass suspicious looks and reverent smiles, "Laura, I've waste so much time. I'm sorry that I was so…afraid and distrustful."

"Bill, we've both been that way – it's not a one-way street. Love works the same way and I think that we have conquered the doubt street and moved to this one. It has made us stronger. Trust that – trust us."

He had slipped off the edge and she had caught his hand, saving him, again, "I do."

She placed a gentle kiss on his lips and as she pulled away, she whispered, "Good."

Bill looked around Laura, seeing his son and Kara beaming at what they had just seen. Kara stood tall with her dress grays in place, while Lee stood next to her in his very presidential suite.

Bill regained his composure and looked at the two young people in the door way, "Lee, Kara, please come in. We have something we would like to tell you."

Lee smiled at Kara as they continued forward, "It's good to see you, Dad."

Bill grinned and noticed that the upper half of his uniform was still in his lap, "Laura, I seemed to have forgotten to put on the rest of my uniform. Could you help me?"

She let a little giggle escape from her lips as she pulled it from him, "Sure."

"Thank you," he said as she finished off the last button and secured his sash.

"You're welcome." She gestured for Lee and Kara to take a seat on the sofa, opposite to them.

"Well, we have some news." He looked at Laura and she smirked, "Laura and I are engaged to be married and we were hoping that you would attend the ceremony."

There was a long pause, in which time Lee and Kara looked at each other in disbelief, "Dad, is that really a good idea?"

"Yes it is. I love her, son, and I told you once that I couldn't live without her. There is no point in hiding anymore." Laura turned to him, giving his had a squeeze.

"Lee, I love your father very much and I have agreed to marry him. I want to marry him – he is the other half that I've been missing. I hope that you can understand that and I promise that I will never make you call me 'mom.'" She grinned sheepishly at Lee, who started to laugh.

"Well then, congratulations. You both deserve an immeasurable amount of happiness and I'm glad that you have found it."

Lee held out his hand and Bill took it, "Thank you, son."

"Congratulations. I can't believe that you two are finally getting married." Kara looked like she felt a little awkward, but over all she looked pleased.

"Thank you, Starbuck." She nodded her head with a smile, "We have one more request for the two of you."

"Which would be, what?" Lee questioned.

"Lee would you be my best man?"

"Of course – it would be an honor."

This time Laura spoke directly to the woman sitting next to Lee, "Kara, would be my maid of honor? I'll understand if you can't."

"Laura…I would love to. Just tell me what I have to do." Laura let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you."

The rest of the evening was filled with wedding chatter. They sat and discussed the date, which was two days away, and the actual ceremony, which they had decided would be small. When the two young people finally left, the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful.

"Well that wasn't so bad." She laughed, as she approached the couch.

"Yeah, not so bad." His eyelids began to shut and felt her snuggle up next to him – he welcomed her body.

The next few weeks would prove to be challenging, but in a good way. He was genuinely excited – to finally be joined with her, for all eternity. Laura lay neatly tucked into his side humming a Caprican lullaby, which carried him off into a welcomed sleep – greeted by her green eyes.


	8. Gone Astray

Tissue warning.

Gone Astray –

It had been over forty-eight hours since she had last seen him.

Standing alone, staring into the emptiness of his quarters, everything was in its place – except him. He was missing, she could feel it; he would not, purposefully, miss one of her last Diloxin treatments.

Laura began pacing, "Bill, where are you." She paused, letting the air exit her lungs, "Please be okay."

She sat down at his desk, finding a small, black book. The papers inside it did not exactly fit. She opened it and read, "Property of William Adama." Closing it quickly, she ran a trembling hand over the cover and then opened it to pull out the loose sheets of paper. She recognized his handwriting and her name at the top of the first page:

_Dearest Laura,_

_If you're reading this letter, then I've most likely pass on. I miss you already; I didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave you alone. _

_Look to Lee and Kara, help them – let help you. Stick together and look after each other. Keep your chin up, keep fighting, and keep leading our people. You can do it; you're strong – stronger than me. _

_I'm not a man of many words; I don't work that way. You know this, but I do have several words reserved just for you – only for my Laura. You have changed me for the better. Healed my old heart; saved me from my own destruction – body and soul. You lifted me when no other could – when I was betrayed. You loved me and at times I didn't think that I was worthy of it. I wish I could've give you more – given you your cabin. You have completed my existence, my purpose. Please fulfill my final wish, which is for you to continue to live, to lead, and to love – you deserve every happiness._

_I love you with every fiber of my being._

_Yours forever,_

_Bill_

_P.S. Look in the second drawer on the left._

Laura sat in silence, in complete awe. Her lower lip trembled as the sobs began to overwhelm her body. Several tears spilled over onto the pages leaving watermarks, "Bill…"

Knock, knock, knock…

"GO AWAY!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, "Leave me alone."

She pulled the letter from the desk and curled into a ball on the sofa. The hatch opened, "Madame President?"

Laura turned her face away from the door, "I told you to go away. What part of that did you not understand?"

"Ma'am, we found him."

Her heart jumped into her throat, "Take me to him."

The man at the hatch was a familiar one, "I don't think you'll want to see him"

"Lee, take me to your father. Right now."

He stepped forward, "Laura, he's dead." Lee paused, "It looks like he was tortured before they finally killed him."

"No. He can't be…I…Bill." She struggled to find words in between the sobs.

She could see that his eyes were just as bloodshot as her own, "He's gone."

A broken man stood in front of her now, "Lee, I don't…"

He leaned forward and embraced her, squeezing her tightly. They stood locked in each other's arms for a few moments. His arms loosened and they stepped apart, "Lee, what happened? Who did this?"

He took in a deep breath, "It looks like the final four that were supposed to stay on Terra, were picked up by the rebel Cylons."

The disgust on his face mirrored her own, "They took him and tortured him for information."

"Yes."

Her body shook in fury, "We need to go to the CIC right now."

Lee did not ask her any questions, just followed as they entered the CIC.

"Felix, prepare the fleet to jump to escape coordinates alpha." She stared down the young officer, "NOW."

"Yes, sir."

She then turned to Lee, "You might want to go get yourself a frakkin' Viper."

"Yes, sir. I'll make sure Kara is out there with me."

"Go get those mother frakking toasters."

He looked at her with the biggest blue eyes, like his fathers, "With pleasure."

"The fleet is ready to jump."

"We stay, the fleet goes. Do it." She was taking command.

Being around William Adama for so many years, she had learned a thing or two, "I want to blow that ship to hell, do you understand?"

The crew acknowledged her order, "Gaeta, I want two Vipers armed with nuclear warheads. Get the picture?"

"Yes ma'am, but don't you think we should think this over. They might have the fifth on board."

"They killed Bill Adama, your commanding officer, your friend – they are no better than any other Cylon. You don't keep deadly machines around when you have the chance to destroy them. This alliance was doomed to fail and we should never have entered into it. Personally, I really don't give a frak whether the final Cylon is aboard that ship or not."

"Yes, sir. Consider it done."

Gaeta took actual command during the attack, "Galactica, Apollo; the Basestar has been destroyed. That was for you, dad."

"Commence jump, Gaeta." Laura quickly exited combat and walk straight for his quarters.

She opened the hatch and felt the pain beginning to consume her. Walking to the sofa, she saw the letter and picked them up gently.

_Look in the second drawer on the left._

She walked over to the desk and opened the second drawer on the left. There she found sketches of their cabin; the whole design was written out, dying to be built. There was a small piece of paper attached, with her name on it.

_I hope you don't mind that I had these drawn up, but I figured it might make building it easier. I made sure they did it in pencil, so we can add or take away anything you want. Thank you for finally finding me – I've been lost for so long._

_I love you,_

_Your Bill_

She stood looking over the plans, her hand over her mouth trying silence her break down. Clutching the note to her chest, she let the tears free.

"Why did you have to leave me? This isn't fair, Bill. I need you."

_Laura_

There was a knock at the hatch, "Why can't you all just leave me alone?"

It opened, Laura stood up, turning slowly, "That wasn't an open invitation."

Turning all the way around, she found a gun at her forehead, "Hello, Madame President."

There stood Felix Gaeta with a gun to her head. There were no words.

"I figured you ought to know that I'm the fifth and that your days are numbers." The gun went off.

* * *

"Laura?"

She looked around the cabin; it was the same as before – yet something had changed.

"Laura, look at me. Are you okay?"

His hand on her face, his scent all around her, "Bill?"

"Yeah. Who did you think it was? Baltar?" The low rumble of his laugh filled her senses.

"What happened? Where am I?" She gave him a puzzled look.

_Maybe I'm dead. Gaeta shot me and now I'm with Bill in heaven._

"Laura, you screamed and now you look like you haven't seen me in years."

"You mean I was dreaming?"

"I guess."

* * *

Hope everyone liked this chapter. Let me know if you have any questions -- reviews would be great. You guys are awesome!


	9. Captured

Captured –

**Raptor 289**

Laura sat in the co-pilot seat with her hands folded, resting neatly on her lap – there seemed to be a new numbness that had taken over her body. Inevitably whenever she turned a corner, paranoia would grip her mind, pulling forward the images that haunted her. The imagination can be a powerful motivator – her mind conjured up pictures of Bill lying on a slab in the Galactica's morgue, mutilated and lifeless.

"Laura, how are you doing?" His husky voice brought her back from the horrifying daydream that had tried to take over her.

"I don't know the answer to that." She pulled a hand up to her chest, trying to calm her quickened heart rate, "I feel afraid, paranoid, angry…cold. Every other emotion seems to be hidden from me – like I'm not allowed to feel warm, happy."

He hands flew over the control panel of the Raptor quickly, turning on the autopilot. Turning to face her, he took her hands and captured her eyes, "Laura, don't talk like that. We _are _going to figure this out." She turned her face from him, "Listen to me, I'm not going to leave you, Laura. We're in this together. If that means I have to stay glued to your side for the rest of my life, then believe me, I'll do it. I promised to protect you, support you, _love_ you – you _are_ my wife and I would do anything to make you feel safe again, _anything_."

His words shook her, but her eyes could not be taken from the window of space in front of her, "I know that, Bill. I just don't know what to do. A part of me wants to go over to that Basestar and kill every one of those mother frakking toasters, but there is another part that just wants this to be over. There's something dark coming, Bill. I can't ignore that – especially when your life is on the line."

"Tell me what I need to do. Tell me, Laura. I want nothing more than to make you feel safe – happy." Bill was begging – praying.

"Stay with me…forever."

There was a hand on her face, pulling her eyes to his gaze, "Done."

**Colonial One**

Bill followed Laura to her office, "I'm sorry we had to come all this way just to pick up a lousy piece of paper. Lee said it was on the desk."

"It's good to get off the Galactica sometimes, even for a piece of paper. Plus, I keep pretty good company." He gave her a small grin.

She smiled back, but it was not her normal smile and by the frown that appeared on his face, he knew something was out of place.

_"I never agreed to this."_

_"Yes you did."_

_"NO. This is murder."_

Bill looked over to Laura, "Did you hear that?"

She looked at him, panic shot through her body like an electric current, "That sounded like Gaeta and Zarek."

He edged closer to the conference room, where the Vice President and Lieutant were arguing.

Laura grabbed his arm, "Bill, we need to go. Now."

_"I don't care what you think it is. This needs to happen, and if you're unable to do it, then I can find someone else."_

_"I'm sorry, but murder was not included in my programming. You can go tell the other three Cylons to go to hell and you might want to consider joining them because I am not going to let you get away with this."_

Laura reached for his face, pulling it around, "Look at me. They are talking about us, which means we need to get the hell out of here."

"How do you propose we do that? They're blocking the only exit." His eyes were firm – the soldier was taking control. She could see his hand inching towards his side arm.

"Hide." Her voice was thick with desperation, as she took hold of his hand, "Please."

His eyes began to search the surroundings; he looked down at her and pulled her through the curtain into her old quarters. Laura let her eyes close, trusting him to find a safe hiding place.

"There." He pointed to the small chest on the other side of the room, "Go."

She climbed into the small trunk; she looked up at him after situating herself in the small box, "Hurry, Bill."

"Laura, if they find me, please, just sit tight. I'm a trained soldier and I can handle whatever it is they are trying to do. I promise." He kissed her – hoping that he just over reacting – before closing the hatch quietly.

He turned and took several steps, letting out a sigh when his fingers grasped the doorknob. He knew the closet was a more obvious hiding place, but there was no where else to hide. Turning the knob slowly, he took a step in and shut the door quietly. It immediately swung back open and there stood an enraged Vice President, "Look who it is." Behind Zarek were three armed guards; one stepped forward, grabbing Bill's jacket.

"Get your hands off of me." Bill stated in a calm, but unyielding voice.

The man turned to Zarek, "Do it."

In that second a fist connected with Bill's jaw, "Where is the president?"

The laugh started in his stomach and slow moved up his body, "You crack me up, Tom." Dabbing a finger on his mouth, where he knew that his blood had appeared, "I though you had some semblance of a brain." He ran his finger across the cut, removing the red liquid from his mouth, "I'm not going to tell you where she is, but I hope you already knew that."

The guard's fist then smash into his gut, leaving him breathless, "I think we'll just have to force it out of you, then."

"Go to hell." His words were still firm.

"Why don't you come along?" The remaining guards quickly took hold of Bill's arms, while the other moved around his figure. Struggling against the two young men, which hardly seemed fair, a hard object made contact with his head. The room went dark.

**Admiral Adama's Quarters – 28 hours earlier**

"Frak." He stared into the small mirror, the blood was beginning to seep down his neck, "That's just perfect – god's damn it."

He hastily grabbed a towel and applied pressure the cut. Staring into the newly replaced mirror, he smiled. He was finally getting married to her and nothing was going to get in the way of that – not this time. Not cancer, Cylons, or the absent Earth – just Bill and Laura today.

The hatch clicked, as the locking mechanism fell into place. He could hear each of her footsteps, steady and solid. Finishing his attempt at shaving, he lowered his head into the sink, wetting his face and hair. Reaching up to retrieve the towel, he tried to imagine what Kara had picked out for Laura's wedding gown.

"Bill?" Her voice was flimsy and weak.

He towel dried his hair and hurried out into the main living room, "Hey there, beautiful."

Her eyes were not focused on him, but her thoughts were. Laura sat on the couch, trying to control her breathing, her pulse, her fear – she knew he only wanted her to be happy today. The plastic bag that held her dress now lay on the floor.

"Laura?" He sat next her, rubbing lazy circles into her flesh.

"I can't get you out of my mind."

He laughed, "Having me occupy your thought doesn't look pleasant. Is there anything I can do to change that?"

She did not lift her head, only her eyes, "It's not this Bill that I see." Her eyes were no longer green, but gray, "I see you cold, maimed, with a blank, expressionless face. Bill, every time I close my eyes that's what I see – every time."

"Well then, keep your eyes open." He pulled her into a tender kiss – a reassurance of life.

She responded to his kiss, needing to feel his touch, his love. He pulled her small frame onto his lap, not breaking their kiss, granting better access to her mouth. Her fingers tangled through his hair, trying to pull him closer. He ran a hand up her spine, until it was positioned in between her shoulder blades. Exerting a minimal amount of force, he constricted both of his arms around her, effectively extracting a moan from her. Finding the buttons on his jacket, she let her fingers fumble at them.

Bill stayed her hands. "Laura. Laura, we need to slow down." It took all of his willpower to stop kissing her.

"Bill, we've been taking it slow for about four years." She seemed frustrated.

"Just another one of my crazy ideas." He smiled her favorite toothy grin.

"Which would be?"

"I want to wait until we are married, Laura. It might sound stupid, but…" He broke eye contact with her, "but I think that you _are_ worth the wait, even if it is only a few hours away."

"'A few hours away.'" She repeated his words, "We're getting married in a few hours."

"Yes, we are." Their eyes met again, blue and green, "Then I can have my way with you."

"Humph. That's what you think." She winked at him; he had almost erased all of her fears. "Bill?"

"Hum?" He pulled her into his arms – warming her.

"Thank you."

"Only for you – the woman who has captured my heart. A heart that belongs to her and no one else." He brushed the stray fibers from her wig out of her face.

She kissed him on the forehead, "Shouldn't we be getting ready? Have you talked to Lee?"

The low rumble of his laughter emerged, "You worry too much. Yes, we should probably be getting ready. I talk to Lee about two hours ago. He said we are going to be holding the ceremony right here, in the intimate surroundings of our quarters. The priest should be arriving in about an hour and a half. Did I miss anything?"

She studied his face, "Um…I don't think so. Where am I getting ready?"

"Here. I'm going to be in the XO's quarters until the ceremony. I'm not going to give us anymore bad luck."

"Good plan."

He gently lifted her off the couch, "I better get out of here before Starbuck decided to give me a beat down, which she will if I'm here when she arrives." He kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear, "I can't wait to marry you."

Bill grabbed his dress grays, sash, and polished boots, turned in her direction and gave her a cheesy smile. With that, the hatch shut and he was gone.

She already missed him, "How pathetic am I?"

"I would say that you're pretty pathetic, but I think that love has that effect on most people." Starbuck stood in the doorway.

"It's good to see you, Lieutant." It suddenly hit her that Kara was the only woman left in the fleet that she would willingly, and honestly say that to.

"Ma'am. What do you say we get this party started?"

"Sounds good."

Laura had decided that the wig was not going to be a part of her wedding; it was a symbol of death and weakness. Instead, Kara had found a beautiful cream-colored scarf, with an intricate silver pattern embroidered on the edge.

"I'm glad that we don't have to worry about hair." Kara stood behind her, securing the scarf in place, "I was never good with it; I think that's why I've always kept mine short."

Laura laughed, "Plus, it would probably be a waste of time doing it and then sticking on one of those horrendous helmets."

Starbuck smiled, "You know, that is very true." Coming around to admire her handy work, Kara grabbed the plastic bag off the floor, "It looks like you treat your clothing about as well as I do."

"I'm sorry; I had a rough day."

"That's okay, Madame President." Kara took off the plastic to reveal a silky material.

"Kara, call me Laura, please." The plastic fell to the floor.

"Well, Laura, I know the material's thin, but it's the only thing I could find that was the traditional white."

Laura looked at the gown, "Oh. Bill's going to like this."

Kara gave Laura a slightly awkward face, while handing her the dress.

"I'll be right back."

She entered the head, quickly discarded her clothing and replaced them with the thin silk dress. Examining herself in the mirror, she felt slightly embarrassed. The dress stopped at her knee, which was not a particular problem, but the top was a little more revealing. Thin straps kept the gown in place, but that was their only purpose. Lace embellished the bottom hem and the top of the garment, which sat very low on her chest. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the head.

"You're right…the admiral _is_ going to like that."

"I wonder if anyone will mind if I just skip wearing shoes."

Kara took both of the shoes from up off the floor and threw them towards the door, "Today is your day, I'm pretty sure that gives you the right to do whatever the hell you want."

"Kara, is there anyway I can get a sweater or something? I'm already freezing."

She turned quickly to bag she brought, "I thought that you might ask that, which is why I brought this. It actually came with the dress, I just want to see if you would actually go like that to the wedding." She laughed at the scowl that was thrown in her direction from an angry president.

"You're real funny." Kara help Laura put the light jacket on. It was three-quarter length sleeve, white cotton sweater – very plain, but perfect.

"Well, you're ready. How do you feel?"

"I feel like…like something is actually going to go right in my life for once." She smiled at Kara, "Thank you for this, Kara. You have no idea how much it means to me."

The young woman walked forward and embraced the president, "No. Thank you. I haven't felt this much at home in a long time. You have no idea how much that means to me." She stepped back, "I don't get to do this kind of thing often."

"Me neither."

There were very few people who were actually invited to the wedding, but most of the crew showed up and waited outside.

The priest stood at the center, Laura to his right and Kara behind her. Lee stood on the left, opposite to Starbuck. Doc. Cottle, Private Flint, Lt. Gaeta, Dee, Athena and Helo, sat in a row of chairs with an aisle splitting the group in two sections, three on each side.

Laura stood in silence, slightly nervous, but happy. The hatch opened and she could hear people shouting and whistling as Bill stepped in. He looked a little frustrated, until his eyes fell on her. She stifled a giggle that threatened to expose her childish happiness.

Bill walked in what looked like a slight jog – he was just as giddy as she was. He took her hand in his own, "You look incredible. Far better than anything I could have conjured with my over active imagination."

She had sworn to herself that she was not going to cry, but it seemed that it was inevitable, "Thank you. I can't say I haven't seen you in that get up before, but you do look rather dashing."

He smiled at her and then at the priest, "We're ready."

The priest looked at the couple and then began, "Friends, we have been invited here today to share with William Joseph Adama and Laura Eleanor Roslin a very important moment in their lives. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife. If any…"

Bill turned his head towards the audience, saying it loud enough so the crew outside the hatch could hear, "I don't care if any of you object because I'm marrying this woman. So just deal with it." He turned back to the priest with a wide smile on his face.

"Can I continue?" The priest questioned and Bill nodded. "Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise on your lips. *

"Now for the vows."

Laura looked at the priest, knowing it was now her time to talk, then directed her eyes towards Bill's, "William Joseph Adama, I love you. You are my best friend. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward and through the eternities."

Bill stood very still just staring into her eyes, conveying as much love as he could in silence, before he finally spoke, "I, William Joseph Adama, take you, Laura Eleanor Roslin, to be my friend, my lover, and my wife. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of," He paused, "in times of sickness and in times of health," A hand brushed the tears that had begun to cascade down her face, "in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity."

The priest looked at Bill, "Do you have the rings?"

"I have them. Here you go, dad." Lee offered the silver bands to Bill.

Laura stood in shock, she had told Bill not to worry about rings. He handed her one and gave her a big grin.

Bill took her small hand in his gently pushing the ring into place on her finger, "I, William Joseph Adama, give you, Laura Eleanor Roslin, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to _you_, as your husband."

She looked at the ring she now held in her own hand, his ring. Laura concentrated on the words that she would say, considering she had not prepared any. Finding the words, she held his hand in her front of her and slipped the ring into place, where it fit nicely, "Let this ring be a symbol of my promises to you and a reminder of my devotion to you – my love. I am honored to call you my husband."

The priest then spoke again, "By the authority vested in my by the lords of Kobol, I pronounce you husband and wife." He paused for a brief moment, "Kiss her already."

Bill did not hesitate once given permission. This kiss was not like the one early, but not any less passionate. When they parted the priest spoke again, "I present Mr. and Mrs. Adama." The group clapped and they could all here the crew of Galactica whistling and shouting in the hall.

Bill leaned forward, "I love you, Mrs. Adama."

A slow smile spread across her face, "I love you, too, Mr. Adama."

**Astral Queen – 26 hours later**

Bill sat in a dark room with a throbbing headache. He should have listen to Laura quicker.

The door opened and shut loudly, "Hello, admiral."

"Frak off."

Tom Zarek moved forward and turned on the small desk lamp, "How's your head?"

Zarek stood on the other side of the desk, "What do you want, Tom? I hope that it's a hell of a lot because you aren't going to live to see the end of this."His arms were chained to the back of a chair, which were connected to the chains around his feet with a long cord.

"I want the people to be free – free from you, from the president, and from the Cylons. What did you think, huh? Shoving a Cylon alliance down the fleet's throat was going be without consequences?" He stepped forward, taking hold of Bills jacket, "You don't even know if we're going in the right direction. You don't even know if the president is telling the truth."

Bill shook free of his grip, "She's telling the truth, I saw in the opera house. She isn't lying."

"Well how can I trust you? You've lied to us before. Getting rid of you, the president, and those toaster will…"

"Will what? Put you right back where we started. I'm sorry that you think that's a good idea. Whatever I've done for the fleet has been necessary, maybe not ideal, but necessary. I do not regret anything I've done. I'm fighting for something better than this. I'm fight for the survival of our race, Tom. I'm not guided by my own blind ambitions and you know it. I see your hidden agenda – your nothing compared to Laura. She wants her people to reach Earth – she has seen past the greedy, selfish nature of this people." Tom looked slightly dumb struck, "Look past yourself and see others first. Your goals and theirs are not the same."

The intercom sounded, "Vice President Zarek, you have a call from the Galactica."

He walked over to the phone hanging on the wall, "Zarek."

Bill stared at the selfish man standing in the corner, whose frame gave a shudder, "What is it?"

"She's crazy." He look at Bill with disbelief, "The president said that she is going to nuke the Astral Queen and the Basestar if you're not in a Raptor in three minutes."

"Give me the frakkin' phone." Zarek pulled the cord free of the console and walked phone over to Bill, "Madame President, this is the admiral. Stand down."

There was no answer.

* * *

*An excerpt from "The Prophet" by Khalil Gabran


	10. Deception, Part One

Deception, Part One –

**Astral Queen**

The muscles in his arms began to strain as he heard chaos breaking free through the wireless. Words did not really seem to matter at this point, all he wished to hear was a sound that resembled her voice; she needed to be alive, that was the only that was important to him. He had come to the conclusion that life without her would be empty – pointless.

"_For she is what I am; All that is, should always be."_

He remembered reading this to her, but more telling her how he felt through that secret language only she knew. Expressing love for anyone had never come easy for him, but she understood. She could see that he was truly afraid of what he was feeling, shy in every way. Laura understood who he was, she recognized the enormous love that lay beneath the ruthless, heartless Admiral William Adama pretense – she saw just Bill, the man who had lost and would continue to lose. She knew how to comfort a man who only comforted others and refused to allow others to console him. His best friend, now his wife, Laura Roslin was the only one keeping him rational.

Stretching his arm to try and pull the wireless closer to his ear, jerked him from his thoughts. The cold metal that held him captive was beginning to resemble a man. Someone who had no heart, care for only one and had nothing but his own life to lose. A man who assumed that saving himself would save the fleet – not that he cared for more than his own freedom. A man who stood near with what would seem like a useless lifeline.

Zarek pressed the cold contraption to Bill's ear, with a certain determination, "What's going on?" He was becoming impatient.

"Shut the frak up." He leaned into the phone, trying to pick up any sound that might resonance with in the small electronic device.

"_I can't get a pulse. Get a medic over here."_

Bill could feel the panic peaking. His heart was racing as the adrenaline rush started to kick in. The only thought that passed through his mind was that he needed to get to the Galactica, at any cost.

"Madame President?" The whisper that passed from his lips was barely audible, but then frustration took hold of him as he yelled, "Laura, please." There was still no response.

"Sir, the president has collapsed and we are taking her to sick…" Colonel Agathon voice was cut off by the sound of gunshot, and then the line went dead. Bill had just promoted him to Colonel; he needed a loyal XO on his ship. The last had ripped his insides apart, assuming that the almighty William Adama would bounce back, that he would be able to take a truth that was so revealing and soul shattering. The man he trusted with everything – his life, his son's life, the ship, the fleet, and humanity – turned out to be the enemy. The betrayal of Colonel Saul Tigh ran deeper than that of Boomer's. The Lieutant had shot him, leaving his crew defenseless, but to whom did they turn to while he was on the operating table – Saul Tigh, a Cylon.

Now Helo was shot or being shot at, Laura was dead or in rough shape, and he was stuck in a room with an egotistical, coward, who wanted only power, about to die; the tremors running through his body confirmed the shock.

Zarek pulled the phone from Adama's ear, "What happened?"

_I should have listened to her – that's what should have happened. Now she's…_

Bill could feel his anger building, he lifted his head to meet Zarek's eyes, "The president may be dead, shots are being fired on my ship – against my people – and you and I are going to be dead in two and a half minutes." The Vice President stood in silence, "What now? You going to run, watch, or participate." The stoic Admiral was beginning to break inside, "What do you want from me? Do you want me to bow down to your egotism? Hum? The great Tom Zarek – the man who couldn't come to terms with his small voice. The people need more than another Baltar. If you think that's what they need then get the hell out of this star system and take all of the people, who are stupid enough to follow, with you."

The wireless made contact with his face hard, catching him off guard, "Shut up." Zarek shouted as he threw the device to the floor. Bill's right eye would have a nice purple bruise on it in about a day or so.

Regaining his focus, he shook violently in the chain, trying to reach for the Vice Presidents neck, "Come on, Tom. You can do better than that."

The smile on Bill's face provoked Tom, "Do you want a fight, Admiral? Is that what you want?"

"Why don't you take these chains off of me and we'll find out, but only if you're up to it, old man." The smile that had spread across his face, grew, distorting the normal masks that he wore. This one was new, unfamiliar, was taking hold his sanity and pushing it further and further into an endless trench.

"Good bye, Bill." Zarek turned and walked swiftly towards the hatch.

It was like an animal instinct taking over him, "You won't live to see tomorrow, Tom. We _will_ hunt you down. I will do all I can to kill you with my own two hands and prolong your suffering – count on that."

The hatch shut and growl ripped through his chest, "Damn it."

_She could still be alive. Jack's has kept both of us alive for this long. She's strong,_ his thoughts were halted by fear.

The hope that he was grasping at was taunting him, laughing at the thought that she could still be alive; he had heard someone say that her heart had stopped. There was no room for error there, unless the person misread her faint pulse. He knew that her treatments had made her beating heart weak, but not silent. There was still hope, but that did not give Zarek a free pass.

"You're dead, Zarek." He whispered an oath to himself – vowing not to let him slide.

The hatch opened and two men walked in, "It's time to go, Admiral."

His body began to shake as the guards walked closer to him. They undid the chains around his wrists, pulling his hands to a normal resting position in front of him and then replaced to chains on his wrists. As they moved him closer to the hatch, Bill put a foot out, effectively tripping one of the sentries. The loud thud that came when the man's head made contact with the bulkhead caused the other to turn quickly towards the Admiral's firmly place elbow. The guard's nose made contact and broke instantly with a loud crack.

The cord that connected his hands to his feet was too long, which allowed him to make his next move. He successfully grabbed the guard by the back of his jacket and threw him into the bulkhead, where another loud thud sounded. With both of the guards on the ground, unconscious, Bill found the key to the shackles and freed himself. He turned from the motionless figures on the floor and closed the hatch, locking it behind him as he began to move through the corridor.

"You can hide Zarek, but you can't run."

Part two will be coming soon and it should be a good one. Hope you guys enjoyed and if you did let me know.


	11. Deception, Part Two

Deception, Part Two –

**Battlestar Galactica, 23 hours until her death**

Silence, blissful in every way, but in this moment she ached for nothing more than his voice. A voice that had maneuvered her through so much pain, physical and mental, bending, adjusting to the things she could not navigate on her own. The rough, husky sound had taken her to places of pure imagination – something she longed for, a dream.

The cold leather beneath her legs could bear no competition for the now chilled heart that lie in her chest. She could feel the guilt taking over her insides, eating them, destroying her. The thought of how she had just sat in that box, letting those men take him, it sickened her.

_I'm the true coward._

She knew standing, trying to fight for him, would have been a mistake, but that did not stop her awareness of her own stupidity, cowardice, and complete fear. It had been flashing in great, big neon lights right in front of her, practically screaming at her.

_Get the hell out_.

Laura stood and began to pace around their quarters, immersed in her thoughts. Walking by his desk, she remembered the dream and began looking through the appropriate draw on the left. Whatever had convinced her to follow that train of thought was something that she should shut up and never let out again. A long tube lay in the drawer with an elastic band tightly secured around the center. Pulling on the rubber band, which held the paper in its cylindrical shape, freed the sketches into an open position. Seeing the outline of a house on the paper released a shriek that ripped through her body.

"No, no, no." She threw them down onto the wooden surface, her hands flying from the paper as if they had just made contact with a hot burner. Turning from the paper, a hand covered her chest, trying to keep everything inside. The other hand moved over her mouth, keeping the cries from exploding free.

Taking several deep, deep breaths, she reached for the paper and opened it; a small note fell out and she felt her vision resurfacing.

_Laura,_

_I had hope that you wouldn't find this before I had a chance to give to you, but if you're reading this note then I need to find a better hiding place. This was my wedding present to you, but after you told me about your dream I thought it would be better to save for another occasion._

_It seems that I cannot keep any secrets from you. I hope that I will be able to build this for you some day soon, besides I made you a promise and I'm good to my word._

_All my love,_

_Bill_

The rough edges of the paper rubbed against her palm, leaving a small cut. The blood from her hand stained the letter's edge, slowly spread through the corner, until it met his name.

"I'm not going to let you die that easily, old man." Laura let the stained letter fall to the surface of the desk.

The sketches lay open, waiting for her gaze, but she could not bear to look at them. She began to move, with no set destination, following nothing. Thoughts passing in and out of her mind, she eventually ended up in front of his closet, where she removed one of his uniform jackets. The feel of the familiar wool on her hands, the smell, the way the metal reflected the even the dimmest of lights – it was not enough to see. She removed her suit jacket and replaced it with his. Standing there, she could see everything – a new clarity. He had always given her that, but it was not just his ability to steer her through the ambiguity, he took her advice, listened to the words she offered. He guided her, and yet he set his pride a side, taking the advice of a woman in power. They were partners, relying on each other. She had played her part in his leadership – a friend, a voice of wisdom and counsel. Neither pushing the other onto a path, only helping the other on the path they had chosen. If they were going to survive this, their relationship needed to endure. They had found the ground on which to lead a dying nation.

Letting her vision become a reality was one thing she was not willing to let happen. She knew that stopping Bill's death would not be easily done, but it was going to be impeded, even if it took her carry two pistols on each hip and an assault rifle strapped over her shoulder.

**Battlestar Galactica, 15 hours until her death**

Colonel Agathon stood with his hands tightly secured at his sides, "Ma'am, this is risky, too risky. Are you sure…I mean, you could get injured. What if…"

"Whatever the risk, we have to take that chance. You know that. This fleet cannot survive without Admiral William Adama." Her face was stern.

Helo's arms relaxed at his sides and one hand moved to the back of his neck, "Ma'am, are you sure that it's not just the fleet you're talking about?"

He looked uncomfortable, keeping his eyes fixated on the ground, "Helo, he is my husband. I know what I'm willing to do, as do you. If your wife were in Bill's position, I know that nothing would stop you. I know."

"But you're the President, doesn't this conflict with some kind of rule. You can't just jump on a Raptor to save the Admiral and not expect consequences to follow that act." He looked from the floor to the face of a broken leader.

"Whatever the cost, Colonel, I am prepared to pay it." He was trying her patients and it was not assisting her mood in any way.

"Are you sure? That cost could be too high – the safety of the fleet could be compromised."

She stood still, "Yes. Yes, it could." He had a point; she was pushing past barriers that had been placed strategically in her way for a purpose. Rescuing Bill for the protection of the fleet was not her motivation for pulling this hair brained stunt; she needed to have him back. The thought of continue on without him, it just did not make sense. He was the adhesive that held humanity together; his calm, reserved nature brought comfort to the people, but the glare of the Admiral was worse than death. Bill had found a way to balance it, a true example of leadership.

Karl moved forward, "Laura?" His jaw muscles clinched before he spoke again, "I know you love him, it's not hard to see." He smiled, knowing the feeling, "I will help you the best I can, but I want to make sure that you know what you're getting yourself into."

She stepped forward and gave him a gentle hug, "Thank you, Karl." Exiting the embrace she looked back up at him, "Also, I just wanted to thank you for your friendship the last couple of months and that I…that I'm sorry for any pain I've caused your family."

He stood silent for a few brief seconds, "It's okay." Karl paused, "I was mad at first, but then I thought about it from your prospective and I can't imagine having to ever make that decision. I know that we've not always been on the best terms, but I respect your leadership. Your tough and you don't give in; you'll forever have my respect for that." He started to laugh, "Sometimes I think the crew is more afraid of you than the Admiral."

Laura looked back at the XO, "I'm going to have to be, if this plan's going to work."

**Battlestar Galactica, 2 hours until her death**

The room was quiet and all eyes were on her, "Okay listen up, the Colonel and I have come up with a plan to rescue the Admiral. The mission is likely to have many casualties and that is why I have made it a volunteer only mission. Now those of you who would rather stay behind, please," She gestured towards the hatch, "leave."

Everyone in the room remained in their seats and Laura stood in a commanding position at the front of the room. Hotdog rose an unsteady hand into the air and Laura nodded her head in his direction, "Go ahead."

He stood, "Are you leading this mission, Madame President?" He looked at some of the other officers in the room with unbelief.

She smiled, "Hotdog, right?"

He bobbed his head, "Yes, Ma'am."

"Well, Hotdog," she let a small laugh escape and then a cough, "if you are going to have a problem with that, I'm sure that the Admiral would love to hear about it when he gets back."

Hotdog, looking slightly defeated, sat down with most of the room laughing at him.

"Colonel Agathon, would you please begin?"

Helo stepped forward, "Okay, we will be sending out three Raptors and two Vipers, as soon as we get a location on Zarek and the Admiral, though we are pretty sure they are on the Astral Queen. Now, Raptors one and two, you will deploy first carrying two strike teams. Raptor three will launch last. Vipers one and two will launch with the first two Raptors as a mere precaution – we don't need our people to get shot down by some pathetic guns on the Astral Queen. Now once we are on the ship, we need to find the Admiral and then after he is found your next target is Tom Zarek. Any questions?"

Laura took the podium when the room remained silent, "We are going to bring him back. You have my word." She looked out into the audience, which was filled with young men and women. No fear, no hesitation, only focus – they were ready, "Good hunting. Dismissed."

The hatch to the ready room closed loudly behind her, "Madame President?"

She turned, frowning, "Yes, Kara."

"I just wanted to say that…well, not bad for your first briefing." Kara smiled, trying to lighten the mood that lay heavy in the air.

Laura stood still, "Is there anything else, Captain Thrace?"

Kara's smile disappeared, "We _are _going to find him. We have to and you're the only one who can get him back, I know it."

"Kara, I'm not going in there alone. If anyone is going to find him, it's you. Excuse me?" Laura nodded and pushed past Starbuck, but before she could go far she felt a hand grasped tightly around her arm.

She turned her head towards the young officer, who spoke, "What's wrong?"

"Have you ever had to sit and listen to your husband be captured because he couldn't find a hiding place fast enough – he was to busy finding one for you. I was completely powerless to do anything and then when they left, I sat there praying to the _gods_ that he would come back to me, but instead I had to come home without him. You have no idea. I let it happen. Now would you please let go of my arm?" Starbuck's hand released and Laura walked away.

**Battlestar Galactica, 1 until her death**

She opened the hatch slowly to see Agathon standing with a bag slung over his shoulder, "May I come in?"

Opening the hatch wider, she nodded, "Sure."

He stepped into the Admiral's quarters, "I have a few ideas for you to consider."

"Okay."

He opened his bag and pulled out a black vest, "I think we should keep you in one of your suits, but I want you to wear this vest underneath you blouse. It should protect you from anything they can fire at you."

He handed her the vest, "Okay."

Laying the bag on the floor, he continued, "You said that Zarek was asking about you when they captured the Admiral, right?"

Laura looked at him, unsure of where he was taking this, "Yes, he did. Why?"

"Well, if he's looking for you, then maybe, if we make it seem like your dead, he'll think he has won."

She followed his thoughts perfectly, "He would become arrogant and more likely to make a mistake – easier to corner."

"Exactly, but there is a catch." He paused, trying to prepare her, "The Admiral is going to think you're dead as well."

"_The Admiral is going to think you're dead as well."_ The statement replayed in her head.

_That would destroy him._

**Battlestar Galactica – 5 minutes until her death**

Standing at the center console, she held the wireless to her ear, "Galactica Actual."

_"Zarek."_ His voice was like a cacophonous chord being repetitively pounded into a piano. A repulsive sound that she wished would come to an end, but she had an ultimatum to convey.

Holding back her disgust for him, she spoke, trying her best to imitate the Admiral, "If he's not in a Raptor in three minutes, then I'm going to blow the Astral Queen and rebel Basestar to hell." Despite her best efforts, her demands come out in a yell, causing her heart beating faster as the hatred built.

"_She's crazy."_ Laura could hear the fear in Zarek's voice, _"The president said that she is going to nuke the Astral Queen and the Basestar if you're not in a Raptor in three minutes."_

_"Give me the frakkin' phone."_ His voice was like music, but not for long. _"Madame President, this is the Admiral. Stand down." _His voice was commanding, but there was fear tangled with his normal voice. It was a command, but only for the word's sake. Bill was afraid for her safety, she could feel it, but she knew he could not ask. She could not tell him of her safety either because she had forgotten to ask Dee for a secure line, but that was not the only, or main, reason.

_He's going to die inside, _she paused her thoughts, staring into the eyes of Galactica's crew standing around her, _I just hope I can bring him back, for all our sakes._

She let the phone drop to the floor and walked away, heading for the hanger bay. As she opened the hatch, she could hear Colonel Agathon hitting the wireless on the center console, first shouting, _"I can't get a pulse. Get a medic over here,"_ and then returning his attention to the phone, _"Sir, the president has collapsed and we are taking her to sick…"_

Two shots were fired off in the CIC and she could hear screaming, "Move faster, keep up the pace." She whispered soft encouragement to herself.

Something was wrong, she had not heard of any plans to fake a shoot off in the Galactica. She just hoped that the shots were not intended to kill anyone; if it were a fake, it would provide Zarek with a reason to stick around on his ship. Being the fool that he was, he would most likely think that there was some kind of commotion of the Galactica, distracting them, and that he would be able to slide by unscathed.

_That's why you always lose, Tom._

Though he had been successful in capturing Bill, who probably would not have been captured if he had not be trying to protect her and now she had ripped his heart out. The pain that washed through her body motivated her legs to move faster. In a sprint, she reached the hanger deck in a minute and a half. She moved slowly onto the wing of a Raptor, inside stood a squad of marines, whom she quickly joined, "Let's move – there's not much time left."

Her order was quickly followed.

"Raptor 289, requesting clearance." Racetrack sat poised and focused in the pilot's seat.

"Raptor 289, cleared for launch. Good hunting. Bring him home."

Laura sat in the ECO's seat, reevaluating her plan over and over. _Fake my death. Launch two assault Rap_tors_, then launch in Raptor with marines. Land on Astral Queen, and then find Bill. Find and kill Zarek. Find a new Vice President._

It was a simple plan, it could be summed up in four words, _find Bill, kill Zarek._

* * *

The next installment should be coming soon. Let me know it you liked it! Thank you to everyone that has already left me comments, I really appreciate it.


	12. Truth, Death, And Cylons, Part One

Truth, Death, And Cylons, Part One –

_**Astral Queen – **_**Bill Adama**

The constant, dull sound of his boots hitting the floor came to a halt. Looking around the empty hallway, his heart rate quickened; the sound of the friction, which was not his own, awoke the soldier that had lay dormant – the survivor, not protector. Someone was close; he could almost feel their warmth, hear their heart flutter to a new tempo at his pause.

He could hear a doom being chanted, in a whispered, across the bulkheads around him, "She's gone." It was not coming from his own subconscious, but more from the surroundings, like the ship was trying to tell him the truth that he wished away with hope – a false hope. He maybe getting old, but his hearing was fine and he could not forget the words that had sounded over the wireless. The heart that beat in his chest was without feeling; the soul that lay deep within was crumbling. He sensed the end nearing and with it he felt Laura's pain, if only in a lessened dosage, but just as poisonous. Facing death takes a strong heart, mind, and soul; he wondered where he would find the competence to face it alone.

"Do it." Bill burst at the seams, allowing the rage to take over his body.

It was quiet, his breathing slowed before he heard the whisper return in a different volume, "Now why would I do that?"

_Zarek._ Recognition – he knew the voice of a murderer.

"Because I know that it's what you want. And now, for the first time, it's what I want." He stood straight, at attention, waiting for the end – his end.

"That wouldn't be any fun and I know what I want, Admiral." The voice of the ex-Vice President paused, "I want you to know true misery; the suffering of your people. Beyond what you think you've endured."

His knees began to shake, which in turn raddled his whole body, "What more could I endure? You have taken everything from me – everything."

"I would hate to have your son hear that, or even Kara Thrace. Would their pain and afflictions mean nothing to you?" The laughter that sprung from the darkened hallway ahead triggered Bill's jaw to tighten, biting into his cheeks. He could taste the irony liquid that began to flow, but there was no pain.

"Any human subjected to agony for my sake would break off a part of my soul, kill me inside, making me less of person. If you are willing to hurt others to get to me, then you're no better than the Cylons." Bill spat the last words out in disgust.

"Maybe so. But at this point in the game, it looks like the Cylons are our allies. And I don't know how happy they are with you, Admiral. Waiting until the last minute to send them jump coordinates and keeping them in the dark about this whole operation of getting to Earth. It doesn't go unnoticed." Another laugh.

The emotions were beginning to bring forth the devastation of a broken Bill Adama, "You bastard. Less than twenty jumps left – twenty. We're almost there and you've caused the death of the President, who has sacrificed so much for this fleet, one that seems so unworthy. She had seen the face of death and continued to contend with it while holding the fate of an entire civilization on her shoulders – alone. Now she's gone, why should I stay? Maybe one more death will be enough for you – for this people. Maybe the gods will finally see that we _are_ worthy of survival." Bill took in several breaths, "Come on…Do it." His scream reverberated on the steel walls.

"How about we go see your son, Admiral?" The voice began to fade and something inside him snapped, giving him strength to push his muscles to the limit and beyond.

A sprinting Bill Adama sped after the sound of his prey, "This ends now."

**Raptor 289**

The DRADIS occupied her vision, showing the ships of the fleet, hypnotizing her with the back and forth motion of the scanner. The realization of her exhaustion pushed her head forward to rest on an open palm, allowing the muscles in her neck relax, though she continued to stare at the monitor. When a message appeared on the screen, she nearly jumped through the roof of the cabin --snapping her out of her trance -- which alerted the marines.

"I'm fine. I would appreciated some privacy while I read this message, please." The guards gazed at their President with concern, but following her order, they turned.

The box that had appeared, over top of the DRADIS, read, "Secure Priority Message from Raptor 3418."

Seeing the box made her stomach drop, thinking that something had gone wrong. She lifted a trembling hand to the screen and pressed a finger to the word "open" and quietly began reading the message.

_This is Kara. I'm sorry if I scared you, Madame President, I just had a few things I wanted to say before I begin my search for the Admiral. First, thank you. You're the mother I should have had and I thank you for not giving up on me. Second, I'm sorry. I need to tell you this because I have withheld information from you, the Admiral, Lee and I can't do it anymore. When we first found the rebel Basestar, the Hybrid told me that the dying leader would know the truth at the Opera House, which I told you, but that wasn't the only thing she revealed to me. She told me that I was the harbinger of death and that I would lead you all to your end. The signal that my Viper picked up came from a ship that had crashed on the surface of Terra, I looked at the debris and the tail numbers matched my Viper. I don't know how to explain it, but I found a body in the cockpit and I think that it was me. I burned the wreckage while I was planet side. I have chosen to keep this information to myself because they are following you and not me. But it's still the end of the world and I thought I should confess my sins. I'm sorry._

_-- Starbuck_

Laura sat in the chair awestruck. This was her Kara, real and tangible. The woman that had kept her secret, the one who stood in front of her giggling about a revealing wedding dress, the women that she and her husband loved as their own daughter. The sudden feeling of betrayal stirred her stomach, forming knots in her abdomen; she let a silent tear fall.

Racetrack turned to the cabin, "We're about five minutes out."

**Raptor 3418**

Kara had just sent the message to the President and could feel her heart ache. The ship touched down on the deck of the _Astral Queen_, "Okay, people. This is it."

Readjusting the shoulder strap on her heavy assault rifle, she stood in front of the other marines, ready to lead the charge. The hatch opened, revealing an empty hanger bay.

"Let's move." She stepped out of the Raptor cabin and jumped off of the wing onto the deck, making a loud boom upon contact, which left a chilling echo.

_**Astral Queen – **_**Bill Adama**

He moved silently through what looked like a solitary confinement area. Nearing the next hatch, he knew that there would be a trap on the other side of the bend, but he pushed forward with a new energy. Bill passed the last cage and turned the corner onto a new causeway. At the speed he was traveling, which would have fooled most into believing he was twenty-five, the guard hiding behind the support beam could simply put the butt of the gun where Bill's nose would be and it would break with ease, which is exactly what happened. His blue eyes filled with tears, which is a natural reaction when sustaining any kind of blow to the nose – there was no pain, but there should have been. The new numbness and blood in his hands just made the anger burn his insides.

The guard had not moved, merely stood in shock at the sight occurring in front of him. Bill took advantage of his attackers misjudgment, taking his butt of gun and twisting it to the side, throwing the man off balance. With the guard fumbling in front of him, Bill took the rifle with both hands, so that the weapon was parallel with floor, and hit the man in the face – returning the favor.

Bill pushed him over to the ground, "Stay down."

The man on the floor lifted his hands in surrender. Bill bent down and took the sidearm that had once occupied the guard's side.

"Where's Zarek?" The young man pointed down the corridor.

He looked at the man for a minute, and then kicked him in the face to ensure that he would not be followed.

"Sorry."

**Raptor 289**

Her elbows rested on the console with her palms up, cradling her face. The sobs flowed without caution; her fingers laced through the wig's strands, pulling at them, trying to replace this pain with another, but it was not her hair and wrenching at it would cause her no pain – no distraction.

"Why do I deserve this? Tell me." She whispered a prayer to her gods, who were dwindling her faith with every betrayal.

**_Astral Queen_ – Team Alpha**

Kara stood in front of the hatch, exiting the hanger bay. Her team, Alpha, was moving from the midsection of the ship to the stern. Bravo, led by Hotdog, was heading towards the bow of the craft. When her team had settled in behind her, she held a finger up to her mouth, "Shhhh…"

They all nodded, acknowledging her command. She opened the door swiftly, but in silence.

**_Astral Queen_– Bill Adama**

The blood from his nose was seeping onto the collar of his uniform jacket, staining the blue wool. Like a three year-old child being asked to wipe their nose, he lifted a sleeved arm to his face and cleaned the affected area of any remaining blood.

Placing his pointer finger and his thumb over top of the bridge of his nose, he bit down and then cracked it back into place. With his feet still moving in the direction pointed out by the unconscious guard, he held both weapons in front of him, ready to shoot anything that moved. His lungs constricted and the unsteadiness of his breathing returned. Slowing his pace, he stopped in the middle of the corridor – poor choice.

Bill took in several breaths trying to relax the muscles in his chest and that is when he heard it – the hammer being cocked on a handgun. The barrel of a pistol rested comfortably at the base of his skull, "You need to pay more attention."

The man behind him backed up and four more entered on the other side, all of which were armed. Bill was placed in between four men and the ex-Vice President. He lifted the pistol towards Tom and the rifle towards the gang on the other side.

_**Astral Queen**_** – Team Alpha**

She passed the rooms with speed; each hallway looking the same as the last.

"Come on. Move. We don't have much time." Kara whispered behind her to the marines, who seemed distracted.

Kara could remember the last time she been aboard the _Astral Queen_, a different time. She had been a different person – life had seemed so much simple, which was a crazy notion, considering the circumstances. End of the world and life was easier.

Up ahead she could see what looked like an unconscious body, too small to be the Admiral. She held up a fist, halting the unfocused marines. Blood covered the floor and looked like it came from two sources. The man lying on the floor was covered in his own, from what looked like a facial injury. Some of the blood led off down the hallway, giving her the impression that it had come from two different people.

She looked forward at the darkness, "This way. I think we're close." Turning the marines, she nodded at their weaponry, "Guns at the ready. Look before you shoot." They continued down the corridor.

She would do anything to remedy the betrayal that she had laid upon her parents – no matter the cost.

"I'm going to find you, sir."

* * *

Hey everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. Truth, Death, and Cylons is a three part chapter. This portion is Truth, which I hope is obvious. Death is coming up next. Let me know what you thought of this one though.


	13. Truth, Death, And Cylons, Part Two

Truth, Death, And Cylons, Part Two –

_**Astral Queen, **_**Bill Adama**

Is there nothing left – no hope, no faith, no love? The song he had hummed for Laura had words, ones that kept playing over and over in his head.

_I know one day, all our scars will disappear  
Like the stars at dawn and all of our pain  
Will fade away when morning comes_

_  
And on that day when we look backwards we will see  
That everything is changed and all of our trials  
Will be as milestones on the way_

"There is nothing left." Bill stared out into the group of men, one that had multiplied from four to fifteen, searching for a weak link. The rifle, which he held tightly to his arm, migrated across the multitude.

_And as long as we live  
Every scar is a bridge to someone's broken heart  
And there's no greater love  
Than that one shed his blood for his friends_

Their faces shown the nothingness that lies beneath – their broken hearts. Anger was the surface of something much deeper, fear. _They are lost._

The barrel of the gun lowered, "I'm sorry." Many of the men looked bewildered, as if Bill were talking, but nothing was coming out.

"What?" One of the angry guards cocked his head to the side.

He captured the man's eyes, "I'm sorry." Bill could see the disbelief on all of their faces, "The dawn is coming, I promise. I'm going to get us there. You don't have to do this. Just walk away and I'll deal with him."

They needed a leader, a guide -- someone to help them navigate through their pain. Zarek could not do that for them; at the first sign of trouble, he would fold. Did these men really think that Tom Zarek -- ex-terrorist, plotter, destroyer -- could really lead them, with all of his words and trickery? He had come up with idea to settle on New Caprica and it is not like that turned out for the better. Bill knew that trusting Tom had been wrong from the beginning.

The men stood unmoved, Zarek's acid laughter sounded, "Are you kidding me? Come on, Bill."

Bill kept eye contact with the uneasy group in front of him, "The day when you all can rest, it's near – do you think he wants to help you or himself?"

Nothing – no sound, no movement, no faith.

"Pathetic. You think you can lead them – a man willing to ask for death instead of mercy."

_On that day all of the scales will swing to set  
All the wrongs to right, all of our tears  
All of our fears will take to flight_

_But until then all of our scars will still remain  
We've learned that if we'll open the wounds  
And share them then soon they start to heal_

He heard an approaching force, from behind the angry mob. They were moving fast, precision with every footfall, "Sir?"

The man, who had questioned him, dropped the gun he held to his side. Bill searched his eyes and found a small grain hope, "I swear, I will get us there. On the memory of those who have perished – I will."

The young man let his firearm hit the floor, nodded his head in Bill's direction and then exited the corridor.

The impending force was about fifty-feet away and fast approaching. _It's now or never_, he thought, turning his entire body towards the man standing behind him. The rifle he had lowered was now pointed at the abdomen of the ex-Vice President, "Justice. The scales will swing to set, today."

He cocked the hammer on the pistol and then threw the rifle at Zarek, catching him off guard. Bill moved his hand quickly to Tom's wrist, twisting it in a counter-clockwise motion until the firearm fell free. The man in front of him was shocked – fear in his eyes. Bill moved the man's wrist, thus his entire body. With one hand Bill controlled Zarek's body, while the other held an armed pistol, which he moved in between Tom's eyes.

"Please, do it." A demand. Now, more than ever, Bill wish for only one thing, and that was to see this man in as much pain as humanly possible.

Bill could hear the shock from the crowd behind him. Whoever had taken them by surprise was a trained force, as good as any of his marines. He focused his attention back on Zarek, turning his wrist past the limit.

_Crack._

Zarek shrieked, "How does that feel, Tom?"

Footsteps approached their position, "Admiral…Admiral!"

He turned his head, "Kara?"

"He's over here." Two marines followed her, but she was stopped by one of the gang members, who had grabbed her at the elbow, pulling her back.

"No. Help her. I'm fine." The two men continued their current course towards him, ignoring his order. He turned back around, lowered the gun to Zarek's foot and let off a round, then released his arm. He turned, freeing the gun; the two marines seized Bill's arms and started to pull him down the corridor.

"Stop it. You can help her. Let go of me, that's an order." Right as the words passed his lips, the sound of gunfire reverberated off the bulkheads – Kara had shot her pursuer and continued after Bill.

_And as long as we live  
Every scar is a bridge to someone's broken heart  
And there's no greater love  
Than that one shed his blood for his friends_

_We must see that every scar is a bridge  
And as long as we live we must open up these wounds  
When some one stands in your shoes  
And will shed his own blood, there's no greater love  
We must open up our wounds_

**Raptor 289**

"Sir, are you okay?" The Sergeant had put a hand on Laura's back.

She did not respond at first, just sniffed a couple of times and ran her hands over her cheeks, hiding the evidence of her tears, "I'm fine."

The young woman knew better, but did not press the matter, "Sir, we just landed and we just receive a transmission from Starbuck's team. They've got him."

"Good." She let a long sigh of relief out of her lungs, allowing the tension in her shoulders relax. _What a day, _smiling she laughed.

_**Astral Queen**_**, Bill Adama and Company**

The marines practically dragged him to the hanger bay – everyone stood around in silence. He looked around the hanger, finding three of his Raptors aboard and knowing that only two were to be sent for an S&R mission.

"Three Raptors? Whose in the third?" Bill pointed to the one that had just landed – Starbuck smiled at him.

He walked forward, unsure, hesitation in every step. The hiss from the hydraulics sounded as the hatch started to open. High heels, bare legs, and a skirt, amongst black boots and heavy black pants – his mind was drawing a blank. Was he seeing a ghost? He continued forward towards the craft, until his knees made contact with the wing. A blue suite jacket, "What's going on?"

There she was, Laura Roslin, alive and standing right in front of him, "Laura?"

She stepped out of the cabin and onto the wing, "Hi."

He reached a hand out, touching her frail fingers, "Laura?"

"Yes, Bill. I'm here." He put his hands underneath her arms, pulled her down and kissed her. She did not pull away, or disappear. He yanked her off of the wing and into his embrace; in the background he heard cheering.

Pulling his face down into her shoulder, his tears staining her suite jacket, "Laura, you died. I heard…"

"Laura!" Kara's voice and the sound of her sprinting towards them, broke their conversation. Bill saw the red dot on Laura's chest and immediately put his arms around her, collapsing his knees. As they fell to the deck, he saw Starbuck frantically jump, pushing off the wing of the Raptor with one foot, launching herself towards the approaching round. The bullet sung through the air, stopping suddenly when it made contact with the Captain's chest. Her body landed on the steel floor, an echo hummed – mixing with the sound of gunfire and Adama's voice.

"Kara?" He ran to her side and lifted her off the ground, pulling her to his chest – blood already pooling around her. The round had pierced the vest that she wore, going right into her chest. Her breathing was sporadic, "Shhhh. We're going to get you home." He moved the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear, "It's going to be okay."

Stroking her face, he began to cry, "I love you, dad." She said in huffs, while lifting a blood-covered hand to his face, "Know that and find Earth."

Kara swallowed hard, her arm beginning to sink from his face, "No, sweetheart. No. Not this way. I won't lose you too." He took her hand before it fell completely and held it to his face, "No, you stay here."

She stared back into his reddened eyes, "Sorry, my turn. It's okay."

Kara gasped for air, as if there were none in the room. Her eyes fluttered shut, "Kara?" The body in his arms went limp; her chest stilled. Bill shook her hand, trying to get a reaction, "No, no, no, no…" He released her hand, taking a hold of the back of her head, pulling her face to his. Bill whispered softly to her, while placing a reverent kiss on her forehead, "I'm sorry."

Bill sat there on the deck with Kara in his arms, holding her tight to his body. He rocked her lifeless form, as if she were a sleeping child. Seven marines encircled the scene, protecting him from any more gunfire. Holding her, he whispered the song that had been haunting him, "_And as long as we live,_" He paused, trying to keep his composure, "_Every scar is a bridge to someone's broken heart._" Laura placed a small hand on his back, "_And there's no greater love_…"

"Bill?"

He ignored her and continued, "_Than that one shed his blood for his friends._"

* * *

Song: _For Miles, _by Thrice. I hoped you like this installment. Sorry about killing Starbuck, but I had to. The next chapter should be up soon, but I'm having some issues with my laptop -- hence why it took me two weeks to post this chapter. This chapter was actually going to be longer, but it just felt right to end it here. Please let me know what you thought -- I really like feedback. :D


	14. Truth, Death, And Cylons, Part Three

Truth, Death, And Cylons, Part Three –

_~Death is freedom from pain, from life, from ourselves – from Cylons._

**Raptor 289**

Sitting on the floor of the Raptor, he held her blood-cover body tight to his chest. Suppressing his pain was not viable – Bill had just watched his daughter die, doing the only thing he could, hold her. She died a death that should have been his.

"Bill? Bill, it's okay. It's going to be okay." He could hear the emotions whirling around in her voice. The tenderness of her hand's touch on his back was of no comfort.

"It's okay? Is…Is that what you think?" His words were meant to cut her, but as to why he wanted that, it remained to be seen.

With his words spilt, he could feel her body recoil back into the cabin, "What do you want me to say, Bill? I'm sorry that you've lost another one. Is that it?"

The hurt in her voice was exactly what he had intended, "No." The marines in the Raptor stood, trying to pretend they were absent from the scene. In Bill's eyes, there was no one present except for those who spoke and those who deserved to.

"Then what? What do need me to say? Tell me and I'll say it."

Though he had answer for her, he did not respond to her plea.

"Please, Bill, don't shut me out." The hand returned to his back.

"Don't." He scooted away from her – from her love, her comfort, her empathy.

Neither uttered another word for the remainder of the shuttle ride.

**Battlestar**_** Galactica**_

Members of the crew stood shell-shocked, watching Admiral Adama walk through the halls of the _Galactica _with Starbuck in his arms – even more now, then when he had carried the collapsed President to sick bay, only a few weeks prior. He could hear the whispers around him, whether it was fear or doubt, he did not know or care, tuning them out completely.

The door stood in front of him, a testament of his own unrest. Pushing it open, he walked into the morgue with a somber step. The table was clean, waiting for another victim to claim its cold plane. His legs halted, hindering his advance, reality crashing down on the rock of his sanity.

The doctor was neatly placed next to the table, patiently awaiting her arrival – like death itself. Bill looked at Jack and then at the sterile surface, "Why?"

The sarcastic doctor softened into a composed comrade, "I'm so sorry, Bill."

"She didn't deserve this fate. All of the death, the war, the constant fear – for what? For this?" Her lifeless body was still in his arms – no longer waiting, feeling, dying.

When Jack remained silent, Bill moved his heavy feet towards her resting place. With the gentle nature of a beloved father, he released her legs first to the flat surface. It took all of his strength to lay the upper part of her body down, letting her go as he did so. He bent down to her corpus, kissed her softly on the forehead, moving away the threads of hair that cascaded over her eyes as he pulled away.

"I love you too… I could never stop."

_**Astral Queen**_

"Sir, you should be able to get away with a splint on that wrist, but to be honest, I don't have the slightest idea about what to do with your foot. We can clean it up, but I can't guaranty that it will heal."

_It doesn't matter._

"Tom, what do you want me to do?"

Zarek sat on the cold chair, one that had been occupied by the Admiral earlier, toying with the Velcro strap on his splint, "You have your orders. I just need you to stop the bleeding."

The dark haired man made quick work of Tom's foot, and then stood, making for the door, "To freedom."

Tom lifted his head, "To revolution."

_**Colonial One**_

Lee paced the length of the ship, gun in hand, replaying the President's words in his head, _"We lost Kara."_

He had hung up on her, not wanting to hear more.

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_

The smell of his quarters filled her senses. He had brushed her off completely, needing time, which she understood, but still she worried. She walked towards the wireless on the wall, picked it up and spoke, "Get me _Colonial One_."

"_Yes, Sir._"

The phone rang a few times before she heard his voice, "_Hello?_"

"We got him, Lee. Broken nose and a couple of bruises, but otherwise, he is physically fine. The mission wasn't without its casualties," She paused, unsure of how he would take her bad news, "we lost Kara."

Laura let the truth sink in, but after a minute or so had passed by the silence continued to fill her ear.

"Lee, are you there?" The line went dead.

"_Sir, he ended the transmission._"

She put the wireless back into its place. Leaving the ship was probably a bad idea, but she knew that Lee needed the comfort of a parent – comfort that Bill Adama was in no state to give.

**Rebel Baseship**

"You know doing this will push Roslin over the edge. The government will collapse and civility will be lost."

Tory turned towards D'Anna, "Killing Adama will only give Roslin the opportunity and the resolve to get even. She's not going to lie down if you do this."

D'Anna moved towards the young woman, "Tyrol and Anders are in agreement – they believe the plan will work."

"You don't know her – she'll hunt us down. I guaranty you there will be no safe haven from her wrath." D'Anna placed a hand on Tory's shoulder, trying to reassure her.

Tory pulled away from the gesture, "Trust me, sister. We have the elements in place – she will not be able to recover from this.

Tory walked way, "You have my support, but I will take no part in this."

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_

Bill left the morgue behind and headed back towards his quarters. Cottle had chased after him, telling him that he should get his nose checked out, but Bill had ignored him. Upon entering his quarters, he could see the sketches, which he had draw up, on the desk. She had found them.

_Good._

His body was still numb, so he did the only thing he knew how to do – work. Putting on a fresh uniform, he cleaned up his face and hands, looked into the mirror and decided that Hell probably looked better.

He set out to see what was happening on his ship. When he entered Combat, the room was silent, but there was something out of place. There was blood smeared over the center console. He looked at the marine standing next to the entrance and held a finger to his mouth. Reaching around the young man, he grabbed the marine's holstered sidearm and motioned for him to walk forward. They reached the middle of the room and no one moved.

"What the hell is going on here?" He looked around the room, still no movement.

**Rebel Baseship**

"I don't care how frakking much you want to get your hands on the fifth – I'm not going to support you in this." Saul Tigh stood in front of D'Anna, completely stunned at her plans.

"On the contrary – Tory, Tyrol, and Anders, agree. You are the only one who can do this. With Tom Zarek on our side, we can take control of the fleet. But we need you to get to the Admiral."

Saul looked at D'Anna, the three standing behind her, "I can't do that. I'm sorry. I shouldn't even be here," He looked around her, "and neither should any of you. We are going to pay for this betrayal."

_**Colonial One**_

Laura walked quickly from the Raptor to where the quorum usually gathered. She stepped down the stairs in an elegant manner, and then turned. Lee sat at the head of the table with the gun in his mouth.

"Gods…" She whispered to herself, loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough not to scare him into shooting himself.

He pulled the gun from his mouth, making no effort to hide his intentions. She had never seen Lee like this, never. He was always quick on his feet and ready to fight the enemy, never sitting.

"Lee, what are you doing?" Her voice broke slightly at the end of her question.

He set the gun down on the table and then looked at her, "What does it look like?"

She shook her head in disbelief, "You can't. Not now, not ever."

He pushed the gun towards her, "Then how about you do the honors?"

Laura took the gun from the table and removed the clip, then disarmed it, "How can you ask that of me?"

Lee stood up quickly, pushing the chair to the floor in a loud crash, "She's dead – therefore, so am I."

His eyes were red, a mirror image of his father, "Lee, I know. Your father just lost his daughter and I don't think he would survive if something were to happen to you."

The papers that crowed the table flew into the air, falling like the snow on a cold day, "For once in my life – I don't care. She was his daughter, but she was my…I was going to marry her."

His chest was heaving, "Oh my gods, Lee," She could find no words to comfort him. "I don't know what to say."

"Say you're frakking sorry!" His scream filled her ears, "Say you're sorry – you're the one that made her go. She would still be alive if…"

"Lee, the mission was classified as Two Alpha – I did nothing of the sort. You can blame her death on me and hate me for, but you can't do this to yourself. Your father needs you."

He looked at her, sadness replacing his anger, and then slumped to the floor, "How? How am I supposed to go on? What do I have left?"

She walked over to him, sensing that he needed her comfort – like a child that just watched his dog die, after being struck by a car. Laura kneeled down next to him, wrapping her arms around him, "It's okay to cry. You've lost your best friend and I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now. Just know this – Kara would have wanted you to make it to Earth. Help me get us there for her."

He turned his face into her shoulder and whispered, "Okay."

**Rebel Baseship**

"Take him to a holding cell." The metal centurions moved towards Saul.

They took hold of his arm, "Get off of me. I'll do it. Okay? Now let go of me."

He had a plan, but it was going to be tricky.

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_

Gaeta stood across the room, his hands secured tightly behind his back. The Admiral had seen the fear in his features and disgrace in his eyes. He strode over to him, the gun at his is side, but at the ready.

"I asked you a question. Do I need to repeat myself, Lieutenant?"

His hands quickly appeared as they tried to help jump start his explanation, "Sir, when the President left…I discharged two rounds. I thought it was a good idea, something to distract Zarek."

"Who?" Had he lost another one?

"Colonel Agathon was hit in the leg with a ricochet – nothing serious…"

Bill looked at the blood that covered the table, and then pointed a finger at it, "How did all of that blood get on there?"

"A Private Flint took one to the side – she was responding to the false medic call and was the first to the scene. I didn't see her, Sir. I swear."

"Corporal, take this thing to the brig."

_**Colonial One**_

Lee stood from the floor, straightening his tie and jacket, "I'm sorry for that."

He was pointing at her suit jacket that had a large tear stain on the shoulder, "Lee," She patted him on the shoulder, "I'll live. Are you okay?"

"No, but I'll live. I think."

"Why don't you come over to the _Galactica_, take a little break."

"I can't. You know that." He looked down at the ground and then back at her.

She gave him a smile, "I am the President – I have little pull. If you need it, Lee, I understand."

He looked at her sincerely, "Thanks for the offer, but I think it would be better for me to keep my mind busy."

"In that case, I've put your name forth to the quorum as a nomination for Vice President."

He cocked his head to the side, "I don't know what to say…" Lee stood in silence for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and then continued, "It would my honor, if you think I'm the right one."

"Yes, you're the right one – you always have been."

"Thank you, Laura." She hugged him tightly.

"You are an incredible man, Lee. There is so much to life – so many things still ahead of you. So many chapters that are unwritten. Will you preserver, Lee, will you write them?"

He squeezed her gently, "Yes."

"Thank you. Don't make me turn into one of those evil stepmothers."

Lee pulled away, stifling his laughter, "Yes, Ma'am."

_One Adama down – one to go._

_**Astral Queen**_

"We're in position, Sir. Three hours and counting."

"Good. Notify D'Anna."

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_

He walked into sick bay, everything was raw, every surface burned. Just seeing her laying there in that bed, motionless, it was hard to bear. "How is she doing, Jack?"

"She'll live to save more lives. The bullet just skimmed her skin – none of her internal organs were damaged, but she lost a lot of blood."

Relief washed over him, "When will she be back on her feet?"

"A couple of days rest and she should be as good as new."

His shoulders relaxed, he could see her chest raise and fall – breathing, a sign of life. She would be fine, he lifted a hand to the bridge of his nose, lifting his glasses to rub it, "Damn it"

"Bill, let me look at your nose. It's obviously broken."

"Where's Helo?"

"Helo was released about an hour ago. He should be fine. Now can I look at your nose?"

Bill nodded and walked to the nearest bed.

**Raptor 9018**

_Lee thought it was my fault that she had died. Maybe that's why Bill ignored me. Maybe that's what he thinks – that I killed her. That I opened the door._ The Raptor landed rather hard on the deck, tossing her from her thoughts, sending objects flying in the cabin.

Something collided with her head and she looked at the pilot's seat, "What the hell? Who taught you to fly?"

The face for Saul Tigh appeared, "Good afternoon, Madame President."

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_

Whatever Cottle had put on his nose, hurt like hell, "Do you have to put it on so tight?"

"What are you the doctor now? Hold still."

_"Pass the word to the Admiral, Admiral Adama, to CIC. Action stations – set condition one throughout the ship_._ Admiral Adama to CIC."_

Bill pushed Cottle off of him, "I'm not done yet."

"Yes you are. This will have to do, Doc. I've got to go."

He ran through the corridor to the CIC. The leg that had given him trouble was stiff, but the pain was bearable. There were too many people in the hall, "Get out of my way. Move."

Pushing the people in his way that did not move, Bill made it to the CIC.

"What's going on? Sit rep."

Colonel Agathon had made it back to his post, "Sir, we got a report from a deck hand that Coronel Tigh was seen exiting a Raptor with the President."

_What the frak. Laura what are you doing?_

His thoughts were racing, "Where were they headed?"

"He said that they were headed towards the brig. I'm not sure why."

Bill turned and began running again; he knew what Tigh was after.

_Laura's just a pawn stuck in a tight spot – Tigh knows that if he's going to get to me he needs something. Laura, what have you gotten yourself into?_

"Sir, what is it?" Helo was following him.

"Colonel, get back to Combat. I need you there."

Helo grabbed Bill's arm, "Tell me what's going on, Bill."

"Tigh is going after Gaeta. He's going to use Laura to get to me. There are lives on the line here, so can you please let go of my arm."

Karl's fingers loosened and Bill ran.

* * *

Sorry this chapter was a little angsty, but it was necessary. Hope you all enjoyed. Please review!


	15. A Dangerous Maneuver

_We're getting closer to the end everyone - sorry this took so long! Hopefully it lives up to the wait! ENJOY! _

A Dangerous Maneuver–

Grasping the cold metal in his hand, he propelled himself forward. The gun was just a reminder of the gravity of the situation. The pain was resurfacing, a slight ebbing, as he passed the crewmen in the hallway. He turned a corner. The brig was nearing – its subtle face rearing in the bulkheads around him.

Helo had alerted the ship to the Cylon's presences, but he doubted that it would prevent Tigh from achieving his goal. Saul had worked on the _Galactica_ for far too long not to know what he was doing. They could lose the ship to this _thing_ in a second.

"Make a hole." Bill pushed away from the men and women of his ship, most of them jumping out of his way – some of them turned and followed, knowing their CO would not be running around the ship for a menial reason.

He heard the feet stomping behind his own, making time and keeping it.

Bill shouted back, trying to keep the troops informed, "He has the president – leverage."

Their collective speed increased, much to his surprise. The adrenaline coursing through his veins pushed the pain aside and causing his focus sharpen. They could not allow Tigh to get the fifth; no matter how much he was hurting, no matter how much he wanted to hurt – they had to protect Gaeta. If the Cylon's got their hands on the fifth, then there would be no stopping them from jumping away, leaving the fleet in shambles and with a greater conflicted. He would deny it to every member of the crew, but he knew deep down that they needed the Baseship. _Phantom_ was one of the fleet's last defenses – last hope.

The _Galactica_ had protected and housed them for years, but he was having trouble seeing her making it through this one. No one could know this – not Laura, not Lee, not Kara… He shook his head.

The soldier was taking over – the stillness of his circumstances was returning, just like before. _This has all happened before and it will all happen again_ – a truth in all things.

He stopped, being only about fifty feet from the brig. Looking at the focus-young faces staring at him, he spoke, "I'm not going to lie to all of you this could end badly. At all costs, we have to protect the President. If Tigh tries to escape, shoot him. Shoot first, ask questions later – don't hesitate." He inhaled and then turned, facing his fears. Running in the direction of the containment area, there were four of his men on the ground.

Forcing himself around the empty cell, he searched for a red haired woman – his wife. "LAURA…Laura?"

His shout echoed in the small room, it rebounded off the walls with speed. It searched for her and stopped all those around him.

"Damn it." He turned towards the group of stalled soldiers, "You, you and you – search the area. GO." The three young men ran in a split formation. Bill's eyes were searching, "Keep you frakkin' eyes open!"

The group dispersed – on the hunt like a pack of wolves. He was left standing close to the steel cage, searching for a clue. The thought of another loss began to rip at the calm that had engulfed him. Rage was again taking over, building up in the sweat of his palms.

The approaching footsteps put him on alert, but somehow he couldn't move. He was frozen, one thought in his head. Kara was gone, once again. He knew that this time there would be no resurrection from the dead. Now Laura was in danger – the grudge that enthralled him was in no hurry to leave, but he knew he couldn't lose her too.

"Move." The voice of Saul Tigh echoed in his head.

"_You going to give in that easily? Did Husker die of old age?" _A woman's voice spoke – it was so very similar to her smooth political voice.

Bill laughed at the insanity that had started to infect him, "Why should I listen to you?"

The question was for both the Cylon behind him and the voice in his head, "_You know why, Bill._"

"I said move."

"Do I?" Bill spoke to woman's voice in his head, "Do I know, Laura?"

"_I doubt you would have married me if you didn't._"

"Bill, what's wrong with you?" Saul was more concerned than Bill thought a Cylon should be.

He turned towards the Cylon, "Where is she?"

"Move."

No one came to his aid – they stood idol. Fear, that's all he saw. They had no idea what to do. The gun that was pressed against the back of his head must have been the reason.

He saw his quarters approaching – the last place he would looked. Tigh was spitting in his face by keeping her hostage here. Bill opened the hatch to his quarters in a swift motion and was abruptly met by the arms of woman.

"Get inside, now." Saul pushed Bill in the back, forcing Laura out of his arms and to the floor. He nearly fell on top of her, but he took that second of unbalance to strengthen his fist, which made contact with Saul's jaw as he turned.

Tigh rebounded quickly, grabbing Adama's wrists and forcing him to the wall, "Let go of me." Bill struggled against Saul's monster grip. He heard hurried footsteps approaching, and then saw Laura's face appear when she jumped on Saul's back.

"Let go of him, you bastard." Tigh efficiently shook himself free, then focusing his attention on Bill again, throwing a right hook to his cheek. Bill hit the floor hard and then felt a foot cover his throat. "Stop it. Stop, please."

Laura was near tears, but everything was hazing over, Saul's foot pressing harder. "You need to sit down over there. I don't want you to move or make a sound. Understand?"

She nodded, or so it seemed because the foot was lifted. He lay there, trying to regain his bearings. After a few seconds, his breathing had begun to regulate normally and his vision cleared, "What do you want?" It came out in a haggard voice that was very unfamiliar.

Saul lowered a hand to Bill, which he declined. Standing slowly, he headed for the chair, which gave a clear view of a very troubled President. Tigh approached Adama, "I have Gaeta – he has agreed to come with me to rejoin the rebel cylons."

"That still leaves the question on the table."

Saul remained standing, "I know that the moment we leave this ship that our safety is no longer guaranteed. Admiral Adama, you are going to be joining me on this shuttle over the Baseship – just to guarantee our safety. As soon as we reach it, we'll let you take the Raptor back to your ship."

The thought of giving Saul Tigh this kind of power sent his mind into overdrive. He knew that the result would be same, regardless of what happened. Someone was going to die and he would have to play the cards right to make sure it was a Cylon, "Done."

"Done?" Bill knew she would not be too fond of this decision.

"Yes, this is a military decision."

"A military decision…are you serious?"

Saul looked at Laura in a strange manner, "I told you not to talk."

"Shut the frak up. I'm going to talk to my husband regardless of what you say," She looked up and down Saul Tigh's body and then continued, "Cylon."

Saul glared at her, but seeing the look in her fiery green eyes he withdrew.

Seeing Saul's abandonment, she got up off the couch and moved towards the two men – Bill remained seated, but Tigh moved back a couple of steps.

"I'm not letting you do this – not now. Not after we just got you back."

"Maybe you shouldn't have brought me back."

"Maybe, but we did." He stood, pursuing her misdirect that hit him right in the face.

"Well, guess what? I'm done putting them at stake." He looked away from her.

Laura grabbed the lapel of his jacket with one hand and his face with the other, turning it towards her. "Bill Adama, Kara Thrace died doing her duty. She volunteered and there is nothing you can do about what happened to her."

"She didn't have…she didn't need to come. Not for me." She did not move – her grip grew tighter.

"Yeah – is that what you think?"

He just looked at her, giving her all the response she needed.

"So it is. You should have heard your son repeat those exact words to me earlier. He said them with a gun in his hand."

Bill's face dropped all emotion – searching her eyes.

"He's fine. I talked him down."

The wind, from his relief, hit her face.

"Bill, I need you to understand something and be very clear on this, Kara was a trained military officer – she knew what she was doing. And I shouldn't have to tell_ you_ that."

"She's gone…because you let her tag along."

"A calculated risk – I lost a son because of that. His name was Billy. And how was my loss satisfied? Let me ask you something – is a Cylon worth more to you than a son or daughter? Wife?" Her voice cracked at the last word.

Here was his own misdirect – his own lie, "Those are two different situations."

The slap caught him off guard, but the hand that remained on his jacket told him that she was not finished, "You listen to me – it is exactly the same thing. I lost a son and a daughter. Bill, you and Lee are all I have left. I don't care what I have to sacrifice." She pushed him away, back into his chair, "Don't question that." She walked away from him – anger saturating every click of her heels.

He looked at her as she walked away and he could see the truth coursing through her body, "I would never question that, Laura. But I have to do this. Trust me?"

She turned and stared at him, with such intensity and power that he could see the plan formulating in her mind. Tigh grabbed Bill's arm, "Try anything and he's the first to die."

Saul had seen the same look it – it was harder to hide anything from him, he had been there with them every step of the way. Through every crisis, keeping both of them sane. _ Traitor_.

The hatch slammed.

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_** CIC – 5 minutes later **

"Helo, we need to get the ship to action stations!" She screamed as she ran into CIC.

Helo ran over to her, slowing her down, "Madam President, what's going on? Where's the Admiral?"

"Tigh took him in a Raptor – he's taking Gaeta back to the Rebel Baseship. The Admiral's on board – leverage to prevent us from firing on the Raptor." They approached the DRADIS Console, where Helo picked up the wireless.

There was that buzzing sound, pulling the ship's crew to alert, "Action stations, action stations. Set condition one throughout the ship. No craft is to leave this ship."

"Sir, we have a Raptor that just launched – Raptor 349." The voice came from Dee, who just entered the CIC.

"We can't fire on that ship." Laura looked down at her shaking hands. Colonel Agathon nodded.

"Radiological alarm!" Hoshi yelled from the communications hub.

"From where?" Colonel Agathon questioned.

"The _Astral Queen_." He looked over at Laura and then back at Hoshi.

They both looked up at the DRADIS, and Laura asked the question, "Where's Raptor 349?"

"Too close." Helo whispered to her.

"Sir, they're locking onto the stolen Raptor." Hoshi shouted to the two congregated around the small hovering screens, Dee now at his side.

"Patch me through to the Raptor, Lieutenant Hoshi. NOW!" Laura lifted the phone, Helo copied her move.

"Bill, the _Astral Queen_ has nukes. They've locked onto your position." Her voice was regaining confidence with each syllable that passed over her tongue and out her mouth.

"_Copy."_ He didn't lift his finger from the transmit button.

She could hear rustling in the background, "_We've got incoming."_

"_Saul can you jam the warhead?"_

"_Give me a second – it's been a long time since I was trained on this stupid contraption."_

"_Executing evasive maneuver, hold on back there."_

"_The Baseship is launching a counter offensive."_

Laura could see it, everything trying to converge on that one small area where the Raptor was now maneuvering. There was a different tone in his voice – like something had changed. The way he was talking to Saul – sounded like two old friends trying to get out of sticky situation.

"_Against the Astral Queen?!"_

"_I don't know – they've launched everything they have."_

"_Sir, we need to move – jump."_ The wannabe scientist said thoughtfully from what sounded like the rear of the ship.

"_The Galactica won't fire and I'm not so sure that the Baseship is trying to help us." _Bill's voice was unsure – he still didn't trust Gaeta.

"_Bill, we have to jump. You can't out maneuver four squadrons of Raiders and gods know how many missiles."_ There was a long pause – no sound, no movement, only the breath of the wireless and the fuzz of the interference.

"Colonel?" She was desperate for another way.

He shook his head.

"_Here's what we'll do. We'll maneuver the ship closer to the Astral Queen and then we'll jump behind the Galactica. Gaeta, can you plot the jump while we're in route?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Do it."_ Laura could hear the footsteps approaching through the wireless.

"_Bill, I'm sorry about this. It was the only way. The three told me about Zarek – they gave him a nuke to fire at us so that they would have an excuse to destroy the Galactica."_

She dropped the phone, dumbstruck. The _Phantom_ had no intentions of helping them get to Earth. It was inevitable – the circle had restarted. Zarek was just a pawn in this larger game of chess. Deceit – a masterful art that the Cylons had dutifully learned.

"Colonel, we need to move the fleet away from the _Astral Queen_."

He looked at her for a moment, then the light bulb went off, "Yes, ma'am." Helo walked away from the center of the room and over to Hoshi.

"Bill, we've got your back." She paused and whispered into the microphone, as if no one but him could hear her, "Be careful."

"_It'll work._" His voice was strong and resolute, reassuring her and everyone else smart enough to listen.

"_Thirty seconds until impact. The first wave from the baseship will be on us in forty-five seconds. We need to get moving._" Saul was back. He was the dear friend that he had always been, even with all his foully misjudgments and character flaws.

The ship moved, "_Twenty-five seconds._"

She gripped the hard metal and squeezed, transferring her anxiety to it.

"_Twenty seconds._"

They were almost to the _Astral Queen_.

_**Astral Queen**_** - Four Hours Earlier**

Zarek sat in a chair, his leg bleeding out.

"This isn't part of the plan."

D'Anna laughed, "Yeah, well – you were never really part of the plan. You did not succeed in fulfilling your part. The Admiral is still alive."

She pointed the gun at his other leg, letting off another round. His scream filled the room. He was the last one left alive on the ship. The inmates and crew were dead – by the steel hands of two Centurions. That's all it took.

There was no surviving this one. The newly found bullet holes would never heal, "My part was to distract and fire a missile."

"Well, plans don't always go the way that we hope. Goodbye Mr. Zarek. It was a pleasure working with you."

_So much for revolution_, he was now staring down the barrel of her pistol. He could hear the faintest sound of the trigger clicking as she pulled it.

"It's done. Sister, I will leave you with three others and these two Centurions. Do your job."

**The Rebel Baseship - Present**

"What is Tigh doing?" D'Anna demanded.

She could sense the Raptor turning towards the _Astral Queen_. Closing her eyes, the connection with the Baseship grew stronger – she broadened her gaze to the _Astral Queen_.

"Six – Tigh is heading your way. We can call off the Raiders and kill the missiles, but they are still coming for you. As is the nuke."

In that moment the Raptor jumped away. The warhead continued on it course towards the _Astral Queen_.

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_

"_Five seconds_." Saul's voice was controlled, making it sound normal to pull this kind of stunt.

"_Jump._"

Laura could see his ship appear right behind the _Galactica_. The warhead continued towards the _Astral Queen_. As it turned to flee, the warhead made contact, sending a shockwave through the fleet. The electronics flickered off and then back on.

"_Galactica_ _Actual, this is Husker, requesting permission to come aboard_."

"Husker, _Galactica _Actual. Request granted. Checker's green." She held the phone to her ear, not wanting to be parted from him as silly as it sounded.

The stillness of the silence after the explosion was comforting – even with a civilian vessel destroyed and a hostile Baseship sitting out there. They needed to get some vipers into the air and blow this frakking Baseship into oblivion. One thing they all knew for sure – this alliance had come to an end.


	16. What Alliance

**Battlestar **_**Galactica –**_

There was debris cluttering the DRADIS image, but no one had any doubt that the _Astral Queen_ had been completely obliterated. The one nuclear warhead had caused a chain reaction with the explosives they had placed onboard the prison ship. There was only one purpose left for the chunks of metal left floating around, to tell the story of the once rebellious prison transport ship.

Laura pushed the wireless back in the center console and looked to Karl Agathon, who spoke to her directly, "We need to get the admiral in here ASAP!"

Nodding, she turned her attention to the communication officer sitting at his post, "Hoshi? Has the admiral landed?"

His fingers were moving elegantly over the panel in front of him. To his credit, Lieutenant Hoshi had filled Dee's shoes well. "Yes, ma'am."

She looked back up at the DRADIS, "Karl, is that thing supposed to be doing that?"

_Phantom_ was moving. "No – Hoshi, get the Baseship on the horn. NOW!"

Laura turned and could see him pressing something on the control panel and speaking clearly into the headset microphone he wore, "_Phantom_,_ Galactica_ Actual is requesting to speak with you."

"Put it through." Laura and Helo picked up the phones in unison.

Hoshi nodded his head, "This is _Galactica _Actual. Stop your ship at once, or you will be fired upon."

"_Would you really risk the safety of your fleet?"_ D'Anna asked.

Laura looked up at the direction of the Baseship, and there they were, moving right into the middle of the fleet for protection – cowards, smart cowards.

Laura lifted her hand to the mouth piece of the phone, "She knows we've got her beat – they're running for cover. Could we jump the fleet?"

Hoshi interrupted Helo before he could respond, "Radiological alarm. Sirs, the Baseship just activated multiple nuclear warheads. It looks like they've got them directed at the fleet."

Colonel Agathon shook his head, covering the microphone on his end, "They won't have time to spool up before the Baseship wipes them out."

Laura lifted her hand from her end, letting her words escape to the enemy, "D'Anna, it would seem that we are at an impasse." Her brain scrambled for words to keep the situation under her control. Nothing came. For once, she was without words. She needed that man, the one who had given her direction and purpose. Her teammate – her partner. "What…" Laura looked to Karl; she could see the wheels turning.

The hatch opened, followed by Admiral William Adama, his breathing haggard. She stepped forward; almost forgetting about the reality of the situation she had been dealt. Her focus was on him, only him. His eyes were happy and alive. He was back – the admiral, _Husker_, her husband was back!

Her attention on him was splintered by the two cylons that walked in behind him, Saul Tigh and Felix Gaeta.

"_An impasse? We have you, Madame President. You can't fire on us, your fleet is stuck here, what more is there to discuss other than your surrender."_ Her laughter was evil – inhuman.

Laura thought for a moment, not wanting to say something that would be uncouth, "It would seem that way. But didn't your allied Colonial ship just get blown up? And your target escaped, free harm? Not to mention that two of the final five cylons have betrayed you. It would seem like we've got plenty on our side."

"_You think that we intended to have Tigh's ship blown up? He was tasked with bring us the fifth. We wouldn't have compromised that. It was merely a reason for this."_ As her words made their way to Laura's ears, a nuke was fired, hitting _Colonial One_ directly.

Her heart sunk, and she could feel the room's fall in the same direction. "Oh gods! Lee…" Bill's hand had fallen to her side, his eyes bright. Something was up, Lee was last seen on board _Colonial One_ – there is no way he would look the way he did if that were the case.

Helo had handed the phone over to Bill; he had heard D'Anna speak it and then watched as the Colonial ship exploded. Laura gapped at him as she thought of the Lee, but he just smiled. His eyes slightly watery, but there was no hint of sadness – Bill Adama was happy to see her. She searched his eyes. Her thoughts were screaming at her,_ what was going on, how could he be smiling?_ Laura was sure that he could see her questions.

"But you have lost, D'Anna – your arrogance blinding you to the obvious." Bill lifted his hand to block D'Anna from hearing him, Laura followed suit.

"Saul planted a nuke on a stolen Raptor on _Colonial One_, right before he kidnapped you. Saul left Lee a message to evacuate the occupants of _Colonial One._ Lee is right there," he pointed at the screen above their heads. "The fleet jumps right when he fires the missile, we can end this."

"_How can you say we've lost? Are you completely deranged? Look around you Adama. You're fleet is wrapped in a web that cannot be escaped from. Not this time. Not even with your record."_

The expression on her face must have articulated the shock she felt because he laughed, "You've got to be kidding – Saul, you planned this?"

He nodded, "Yes, Madame President. I couldn't let her destroy us, well you." His loyalty to a people that wasn't his own...it was a frakkin' miracle.

She turned her attention back to D'Anna, "Surrender now and we may reconsider completely destroying you."

**Rebel Baseship –**

Tory was pacing in the length of the room. Anders was confused by the president's words. Tyrol was sitting in the corner, his face hiding from the others.

D'Anna looked at the three of them - they were anxious, but why? "We are not in a position to surrender, but you, on the other hand, are in that exact position. So surrender now, or die." At this point she was beginning to feel anxious herself, knowing they couldn't be this arrogant.

"_Look to your left. Do you see that small ship? It is armed and has its sights set to your main junction, which I have been told by a reliable source would be the best spot to hit your ship to completely disable it."_ Bill Adama was not bluffing.

Anders walked over D'Anna and placed his hand in the water, connecting with the ship. As they stretched their minds they saw the Raptor that had been hidden under their noses. It had been perfectly placed.

"_Galactica _is launching vipers and arming their main batteries." A two yelled from the other end of the data pool.

"What are you doing, Adama? If those ships approach, I will be forced to shoot another ship down. Perhaps this one that so cleverly snuck up on us." They could easily blow up that tiny little raptor – it was not a threat to them. Not to a Basestar, even if they hit them in the right spot.

"_I've surrounded you D'Anna._ _You've been with us for long enough to know that we have a group fly CAP, which have now taken up your rear and with the approaching vipers you will be surrounded."_

"A mistake I don't intend on letting sway _my_ victory." D'Anna still felt confident they could hold this position.

Tory had ceased her pacing and was now just standing there like a deer caught in the headlights. Tyrol had not moved – he obviously didn't care. Sam looked at Tory, wondering if she realized that D'Anna was only in this for her own victory and survival. Absolutely nothing else.

He pulled his hand out of the water, shaking it off like it was something revolting, "Your victory?"

"Our victory, brother." There was the lie – he could see it.

"Anders this is the right path – their fleet is on the brink of ripping itself apart. We are not safe here." Tory's words were just as poisonous as the woman commanding them.

He lifted his weapon to D'Anna's head, "She's not safe here. She will only lead us in her direction. We will never satisfy our journey with her at the helm."

Samuel T. Anders fired, without any reservation or hesitation. Tory screamed as D'Anna fell to the floor – dead, as dead as her faith.

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_** –**

Her face froze and his brow furrowed. Anders just shot D'Anna.

"Surrender now, Sam, or you will be fired upon." Years of war had seemed to make any situation completely normal to Bill Adama. He jumped right to the point, leaving the rest of the room to gather their thoughts and jaws from the floor. Maybe if she kissed Saul he'd be surprised, maybe.

She closed her eyes and moved closer to his ear, "Is it 5 O'clock yet?"

He laughed, "You mean 17:00?" Stepping back from her, he whisper so only she could hear, "Laura, I don't think being the president is really a 9 to 5 kind of job anyways."

Laura rolled her eyes, something he had only gotten to see a fair few times. This made him regret the space between them, so he pulled her body to his. They were too close, only because of their company. She put a hand on his chest, pushing him back and just squinted at him with a questioning glare.

His whisper in her ear was almost enough to make her change her mind, "Guess I'll have to wait until later to make up with my wife." He kissed her quickly on the cheek and refocused his attention.

All of the fleet ships had jumped away and now the CAP, Lee, two viper squadrons and the _Galactica_ had the rebel Baseship completely surrounded.

"Sir, they're spooling up their FTL's." Hoshi shouted.

Both Colonels approached, but Karl spoke, "We have to take out their FTL's now, or we might never get the chance to end this. They have critical information."

In his cool demeaned he turned to the communication officer, "Hoshi, patch me through to _Hotdog_."

The lieutenant nodded, "Lieutenant, we need to take out the enemy's FTL drive. Hurry, there is not much time."

"_Yes, sir. Consider it done."_

The room was busy, buzzing with the excitement of battle. Despite all the commotion and humming of communications, the people in the room still had their attentions pointed toward the few people at the center of it. The president, the admiral, the XO, and former XO were the people who controlled this fleet now and ship's crew looked to them for the next move.

Hoshi's voice broke through the haze, "Sir, the Baseship has severed all communication with us."

Bill turned to Laura, "That's a _no_ then."

They all watched the DRADIS – it was like watching an intense game of Pyramid. Bill saw a game of chess.

"They're launching raiders." There are the pawns, trying to protect the king. It was over for them now and this alliance was no more.

* * *

**_Sooooooo...I found this on my hard drive and had no idea what it was because I didn't title it. Well it's been a long time since I updated, but better late than never? Sorry it took so long! :( ANYWAYS, I hope you enjoy. I'm not sure if I'll write more. Please review - you all inspire me to write! :)_**


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